German AI FoodTech startup Foodforecast raises €8 million to tackle ultra-fresh food wastage

Foodforecast, a Cologne-based AI FoodTech startup specialising in demand and production forecasting for ultra-fresh food supply chains, today announced that it has secured €8 million in Series A funding to fuel international growth and enterprise-ready expansion. 

The round was co-led by SHIFT Invest and ECBF, with participation from existing investors Future Food Fund and Aeronaut Invest. 

“This Series A represents a major milestone for Foodforecast. Our ambition is to fundamentally rethink how ultra-fresh food is planned and produced. With our new investors on board, we are ready to scale our technology internationally and set a new benchmark for planning, efficiency, and sustainability,” said Justus Lauten, Founder and CEO, Foodforecast. 

Founded in 2018 by Lauten and Jan Brormann, Foodforecast is on a mission to make the food industry more efficient and sustainable with AI. 

According to the company, approximately 30,000 tons of fresh food are wasted every day across Europe due to inaccurate demand planning in food retail and food service. Ultra-fresh products, with a shelf life ranging from just a few hours to one day, require an entirely new category of forecasting solutions. 

The German startup claims to be addressing this issue with AI-based demand and production forecasting. Foodforecast states that its AI solutions enable food businesses across Europe to reduce waste, improve availability, and optimise operations in time-critical food categories.

The company notes that its technology is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, allowing teams to reduce waste without adding operational complexity. By enabling automated production and ordering processes, Foodforecast reports that it helps its customers reduce food waste by an average of up to 30%, and also increases sales by up to 11%. It also states that it automates more than 90% of previously manual ordering and production processes.

Foodforecast was commercially launched in 2022 and is currently used in several thousand stores across Europe. Customers include food service, bakery and retail operators such as SSP Germany and Eat Happy.

The company claims that sustainability remains a core pillar of its business model. According to Foodforecast, improving forecast accuracy enables its customers to use resources more efficiently, reduce emissions, and measurably cut food waste. It reports that its customers have collectively prevented more than 8,800 tons of food waste to date. 

“Sustainability is not an add-on, but an integral part of the value proposition. Foodforecast clearly demonstrates how AI can generate both economic value and measurable impact,” said Isabelle Laurencin, Partner at ECBF. 

The operation is supported by the European Union under the InvestEU Fund. In 2024, Foodforecast raised over €3 million in funding led by Scalehouse Capital and Future Food Fund II. 

With this fresh capital, the company plans to expand its presence across European markets and further scale adoption among both SME and enterprise customers in food service, bakery chains, and food retail. 

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