Tech company Chowly has launched the Chowly Platform, a comprehensive system designed to help small restaurants manage their off-premises business from a single dashboard. This platform integrates various tools such as online ordering, digital marketing and third-party order integration, providing a streamlined solution that can help restaurant operators reduce expenses and simplify their tech stacks.

Chick-fil-A has automated lemon squeezing, saving nearly 10,000 labor hours daily and enhancing efficiency by 40%. The process, managed at a facility near Los Angeles, also extracts oils for additional revenue streams and uses nearly all parts of the lemon.

Restaurants are leveraging custom-branded mobile apps to enhance customer experience and build brand loyalty. For best results, "the app must be woven into the fabric of your business strategy, influencing everything from marketing campaigns to customer preference tracking and informing decisions that ultimately shape brand growth," writes Jaclyn Bambino of 3Natives.

The Kirin Electric Salt Spoon, showcased at CES 2025, offers a high-tech way to add saltiness to food without increasing sodium intake. The spoon uses a weak electric current to simulate the taste of salt, making it a potential tool for those on low-sodium diets. However, its functionality can be cumbersome, requiring precise handling to activate the current. The product is available in Japan now and is expected to launch in North America in 2025.

Land O'Lakes is using AI to sort through data for the most relevant information to its agronomists, so they can help farmers more effectively. The company also uses AI to manage the routine needs of Purina feed customers, helping customer services representatives have more time to be proactive.

Venture capitalists are highlighting technologies such as agricultural biotechnology, molecular farming and AI-powered automation as transformative for the food industry in 2025. Companies like Andes.bio and Sunflower Therapeutics are leading innovations to enhance sustainability and efficiency.

Finland-based Solar Foods has introduced Solein, a protein powder made from a microbe that feeds on air, requiring no arable land and minimal resources. Solein's environmental impact is significantly lower than plant-based proteins, using 100 times less water and 20 times less land. Solein's neutral taste and high protein content make it a versatile ingredient, though its unique properties may require chefs to experiment with its use.

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