Artificial intelligence is rapidly emerging as a defining force across the global food and beverage industry, reshaping everything from fresh produce supply chains and consumer packaged goods to restaurants and food safety systems.
Recent research and industry briefings from McKinsey, Deloitte and BCC Research point to a sector at a turning point, where AI is no longer experimental but increasingly embedded in daily operations to address labor shortages, sustainability pressures and rising demands for efficiency, quality and traceability.
From predictive harvest models and automated quality control to personalized customer experiences and data-driven demand forecasting, AI is unlocking significant economic value while forcing companies to rethink data infrastructure, operating models and workforce skills.
Together, these findings suggest that competitive advantages in food production, processing and retail will increasingly depend on how effectively companies scale AI across the entire value chain.
In the lead-up to the trade show, the FRUIT LOGISTICA Briefing 2026 showcased the transformative power of AI in the fruit and vegetable industry. Industry leaders speaking prior to the event say artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a defining force across the global fruit and vegetable supply chain, transforming production, quality control, logistics and retail.
David Ruetz of Messe Berlin described AI as a “game changer” and said the sector has reached a turning point, making FRUIT LOGISTICA’s role as an innovation platform more important than ever. According to Mike Knowles of Fruitnet Europe, AI is no longer theoretical but embedded in daily operations, driven by labor shortages and rising pressure to improve sustainability and efficiency.
He noted that the strongest impact so far has been in smart production and quality control, with demand forecasting in retail emerging as a major opportunity to cut waste, improve planning and boost profitability. A central question, he said, is whether entire value chains can eventually operate autonomously. Speakers agreed that high-quality data is essential to scaling AI successfully.
Bradford Warner of AgroFresh emphasized that clean, consistent and interoperable data is critical for predictive harvest models and for building trust in AI-driven decisions. Elad Mardix of Clarifresh said expectations for performance are rising, with low tolerance for error after past disappointments with new technologies. Clarifresh’s AI-based quality control has already reduced retail complaints by about 25%, and the company aims eventually to automate inspection entirely.
Others stressed the continued importance of human expertise. Wouter Kuiper of Kubo Greenhouse Projects argued that combining human intuition with AI delivers the best results and that smaller producers can benefit as much as large corporations if they actively embrace change. The 2026 FRUIT LOGISTICA Trend Report concludes that AI and automation are creating competitive advantages across the fresh-produce supply chain, improving forecasting, logistics, quality assessment and resource efficiency.
It highlights practical applications such as smart greenhouses, predictive harvest models, AI-based quality analysis and advanced cold-chain management, while pointing to the growing role of autonomous systems and non-destructive testing in future operations.
To read the entire article, please access your complimentary e-copy of Frozen Food Europe January-February, 2026 issue here.