School in Maharashtra uses Artificial Intelligence to check the quality of food eaten by the students

A school in the Indian state of Maharashtra is changing the way food quality is tested with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). By using AI, the process of testing food quality can become more efficient and reliable. The Todsa Ashram School in Etapalli village, Gadchiroli city, Maharashtra, was prompted to install AI-based equipment when it was discovered that 61 out of 222 students were malnourished.

Project Bhamragad, which includes eight government schools, initiated the AI technology that works on the basis of image recognition. The AI algorithms are trained to recognize the visual characteristics of food products, such as color, texture, and shape, which can detect the quality of the food. The technology can provide real-time measurements of various kinds, such as calories, carbs, protein, and fat, which help assess the food’s quality.

The AI machine can evaluate the quality of the food just seconds after taking a picture of the food plate. It does not require any human intervention and can be easily used by anyone. This initiative is a great step towards improving the efficiency and accuracy of food quality testing, leading to healthier food options for children.

Assistant Collector of Etapalli and Project Director of Integrated Tribal Development Project, Shubham Gupta, shared that when he visited the all-girls Ashram School, he felt that the students lacked nutrition. After preliminary BMI analysis, it was found that 61 girls out of 222 were malnourished. The school provides three meals a day, and the quantity and menu are up to the mark, so they wanted to ascertain the cause.

Through an NGO, Gupta got connected with a startup that created a device to evaluate the quality of food being served to the students. The machine was designed to improve not only the quantity but also the quality of food. The data collected can be accessed by the Headmaster and Gupta. The project is yielding positive results, and the quality of food has improved since the installation of the AI machine in September 2022.