Mill and Amazon team up to launch industry-first food waste innovation at Whole Foods Market stores

Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund is investing in Mill to build on its existing technology to develop a commercial device that will prevent food waste at scale, reduce costs, and enable operational efficiencies starting with Whole Foods Market

SEATTLE and SAN BRUNO, Calif., Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Mill Industries Inc. ("Mill") announced today that they're teaming up to bring an industry-first innovation to Whole Foods Market stores that will reduce in-store food waste. The grocer will be the first to deploy Mill Commercial, Mill's new, automated, high-capacity food recycling infrastructure. Starting in 2027, fruit and vegetable scraps generated in back-of-house operations will be processed by Mill's innovative technology and turned into a nutrient-rich chicken feed ingredient intended for Whole Foods Market's private-label egg suppliers. In addition, Mill received an investment from Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund to enable the deployment of this technology.

This groundbreaking initiative marks the grocery industry's first on-site food waste conversion technology, enabling food waste to be converted into chicken feed in store before sending to suppliers for closed loop opportunities. It sets an ambitious standard for the grocery industry by transforming food scraps once considered "waste" into a new, valuable feedstock. The collaboration creates value at every stage in Whole Foods Market's operations – from suppliers to customers.

Mill Commercial will precisely and automatically measure and characterize the fruit and vegetable scraps, helping to enable smarter inventory decisions and optimized ordering patterns. Its advanced dehydration process can also reduce waste volumes by up to 80%, simplifying Whole Foods Market's operational handling requirements, significantly lowering transportation costs, and enhancing food safety. The resulting high-quality, cost-effective feed ingredient aims to provide stability to Whole Foods Market suppliers and reduce price volatility for customers.

"We're excited to collaborate with Mill on its innovative commercial scale technology that will help us reduce food waste and operate more efficiently," said Jason Buechel, VP Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores and CEO, Whole Foods Market. "This first-of-its-kind collaboration enables us to minimize waste while building a more circular supply chain that benefits our customers, communities, and environment."

Building on the success of its residential food recycler, Mill will bring its technology to the commercial sector. Like the residential product, Mill's larger scale device grinds and dehydrates food scraps, transforming them into dry, odorless, and shelf-stable Food Grounds. The output can be used for a number of different applications. Mill's commercial system also enables significant reductions in hauling and infrastructure costs over time, and is expected to cut carbon emissions associated with food waste management.

Mill Commercial brings advanced AI capabilities into the physical realm of grocery and food service businesses. Mill's approach uses AI to track and measure food waste in real time to identify what's being thrown away, how much, and how best to reuse the resource. Mill Commercial empowers businesses to get smarter on their food supplies and operations, providing insights and opportunities for improvements and efficiencies.

"Until now, there has been no advanced technology solution to tackle the problem of food waste at commercial scale. With Mill Commercial, we are combining our innovative hardware with data and insights powered by AI to make it easier to dramatically reduce food waste in the grocery sector and beyond, turning what was 'waste' into a resource we can use," said Matt Rogers, Cofounder and CEO of Mill. "Our approach will deliver significant operational and financial benefits, not just environmental ones. This collaboration with Amazon will set a new standard for the industry, and we are excited to launch Mill Commercial with a trailblazing and mission-driven brand like Whole Foods Market."

"Utilizing Mill's intelligent, connected, and distributed infrastructure helps customers reduce food waste, scale a more circular supply chain, and achieve greater operational efficiency. We've been following Mill since inception and are thrilled to invest now to support the development and deployment of their commercial technology at Whole Foods Market and beyond," said Thomas Selby, Investor at the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund.

Whole Foods Market sets a high bar for more responsible and sustainable grocery shopping as part of its purpose to nourish people and the planet. This collaboration is also an important step toward Whole Foods Market's goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030.

About Mill Industries Inc. ("Mill")
Mill is a waste prevention technology company, and was founded in 2020 by Matt Rogers and Harry Tannenbaum, who worked together at Nest, building the iconic Nest Learning Thermostat and other smart home products. The lessons they learned about encouraging new habits at home that are good for people and the planet were applied in creating Mill to change our perception of waste, starting in the kitchen. Mill is a trademark of Mill Industries Inc. Follow Mill on Instagram.

SOURCE Mill Industries Inc.