Amazon and Mill Industries Inc. are 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 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 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 percent, 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.
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.
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.
Published February 2026
