Metafoodx Featured in EdTech Magazine for Pomona College’s 54% Reduction in Food Overproduction

“Metafoodx gives us the ability to measure and report on waste with a high degree of accuracy, which is critical for accountability. From a strategic standpoint, it has become a core tool for managing both cost and sustainability.”

The August 2026 EdTech feature, “Higher Education’s Technology Shift Serves Up Food Service Cost Optimization,” looks at how colleges are bringing AI into campus operations. At Pomona, that means putting better information directly into the hands of the people producing and serving the food.

Better information in the kitchen

Before Metafoodx, Pomona's dining team didn't have an easy way to see production and consumption at the item level. Metafoodx changed that by putting a smart scanning station directly in the kitchen. The system uses computer vision, weight sensors, and temperature sensing to automatically capture food as it moves through the operation. EdTech describes how that information gives Pomona a live view of what is being produced, consumed, and wasted.

For the kitchen team, the questions are straightforward: What are students eating? What are we making too much of? What keeps coming back? Pomona can now answer those questions by item. The team found, for example, that Caesar salad, yogurt, and Mexican rice were among its most-consumed foods. At the same time, Mexican rice, pollo asado, and broccoli were consistently being overproduced. That gave the team specific places to adjust rather than simply telling every station to make less.

54% less overproduction

Pomona has reduced overproduction by 54% across its dining halls. Plate costs have also dropped 8% as the team has gotten better at matching production to what students actually consume. Over nine months, those food and labor savings helped Pomona achieve more than 500% ROI with Metafoodx. For a dining team serving thousands of meals, small production changes can have a big effect. If a pan regularly comes back half full, the answer isn't necessarily to change the menu. Sometimes it's simply making a smaller last batch. Having the numbers makes that call easier.

Supporting Pomona's sustainability goals

Reducing food waste is also part of Pomona's larger sustainability work. The college is working toward carbon neutrality by 2030, and dining is one of the places where the team can make a measurable difference.

Jose Martinez, General Manager of Dining Services at Pomona College, told EdTech:

“Metafoodx gives us the ability to measure and report on waste with a high degree of accuracy, which is critical for accountability. From a strategic standpoint, it has become a core tool for managing both cost and sustainability.”

That's the part we're especially proud of. Metafoodx isn't meant to give kitchen teams more work or another system they have to constantly update. It's there to help answer the practical questions that come up every day in a dining operation. How much should we make? Where are we consistently making too much? What should change for the next service? At Pomona, those answers are helping reduce both waste and cost.

Read the full story

We're glad to see Pomona's dining team and its results featured by EdTech Magazine as an example of how technology can support campus dining and sustainability. Read the EdTech Magazine feature, then take a look at our Pomona College case study for the full story behind the 54% reduction in overproduction, 8% lower plate costs, and 500%+ ROI.

Want to see what your kitchen is producing, serving, and sending back? Metafoodx is an AI-powered food intelligence platform that helps foodservice operations reduce waste, cut costs, and improve kitchen efficiency. Ready to see how we can help transform your food service operation? Book a demo with our team today.