BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons Companies has introduced a new AI-powered produce inspection platform designed to improve quality consistency and speed decision-making across its fresh supply chain.
The company said its patent-pending Intelligent Quality Control tool uses computer vision and Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise to support produce quality inspections at Albertsons distribution centers. The internally developed system analyzes images of fruits and vegetables against the retailer’s quality standards and provides inspectors with automated ratings and recommendations.
“We built the AI-powered Intelligent Quality Control tool to support our team of talented quality inspectors in our distribution centers, and early results show it’s been incredibly helpful in increasing the consistency of quality rating which is crucial for highly perishable products such as fruits and vegetables,” said Evan Rainwater, executive vice president and chief supply chain officer at Albertsons Cos. “This is just the latest advancement in how we are using AI within our multi-billion-dollar supply chain to improve operational efficiencies, improve product quality and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction.”
The solution is currently live in select Albertsons distribution centers and initially focuses on strawberries and red and green grapes. The retailer said it plans to expand the platform to additional berry categories and eventually scale the technology nationwide to include more fresh products.
According to Albertsons, early results from the deployment have shown improved rating consistency across inspectors and shifts, faster inspection times, and expanded quality data collection to support ongoing analysis and operational improvements.
“This collaboration with Albertsons Cos. demonstrates the transformative power of applying advanced AI, like Vision AI and Gemini, to the core of the supply chain,” said Jose Gomes, vice president of retail and consumer packaged goods at Google Cloud. “Ensuring quality consistency for fresh produce is a complex, logistical challenge. By advising on this intelligent component, we are helping Albertsons Cos. drive efficiency and, most importantly, deliver on their promise of fresh, high-quality food to their customers. This is the future of intelligent commerce.”
The rollout builds on Albertsons’ broader AI strategy. In 2025, it became one of the first retailers to deploy Google Cloud’s Conversational Commerce agent via its Ask AI shopping tool, which supports product discovery and personalized recommendations.
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