A Note on AI’s Role in Charitable Food Systems and La Soupe's Commitment to Sustainability

By Emmy Schroder, Executive Director

Emmy Schroder speaks with Donors at our April Donor Open House at La Soupe

Everywhere I go these days, someone brings up artificial intelligence. At dinner parties, in board meetings, in conversations with donors and volunteers, the questions inevitably come up. “How is AI affecting La Soupe? What does this mean for food rescue?”

I’ve been sitting with these questions thoughtfully, because multiple things can be true at once. AI presents real opportunities for organizations like ours, and it raises real questions about the future of the food system we depend on.

La Soupe sits within the charitable food system as a food rescue organization. We transform surplus food into nutritious, trusted meals and distribute them through hundreds of partners across our city. We work alongside food banks and pantries, not in place of them.

Across this food system, organizations are finding practical uses for AI: smarter demand forecasting, optimized logistics, and better coordination between surplus food and the partners who need it. For us, that kind of efficiency means more time for the human work that will always be crucial to building donor relationships, supporting our volunteers, and showing up consistently for our community partners. The goal is always the same: more food reaching more people with more dignity.

When publications such as Food Bank News explore how AI is shaping the food system, the questions they raise apply directly to our work too. In their recent article, they put it well:

“AI will not replace the core mission of food banks. Community trust, client dignity, relationship building with donors and partner agencies, and judgment about fairness and access remain fundamentally human work.”

That framing resonates deeply at La Soupe too. AI makes human work more efficient. It does not substitute for it.

When we think about adopting any new tool or technology at La Soupe, we return to our core values: quality, safety, creativity, inclusivity, collaboration, and dynamic sustainability. That last value is critical here. AI carries its own environmental footprint, including the energy it consumes and the infrastructure it requires. Our commitment to dynamic sustainability means we don’t adopt tools without deep consideration of their necessity. We ask whether each tool aligns with our mission and whether we can use it responsibly. Done right, AI can help us reduce food waste and do more with less. Done carelessly, it simply adds to the problem.

We’re also watching the bigger picture. As supply chains grow more efficient, it’s fair to ask whether food surplus will decrease. I hope it does, and I’m confident it will over time. That would be progress. Right now, though, the gap between what’s wasted and what’s needed is enormous. In Hamilton County alone, an estimated 138,000 tons of food scraps are sent to the landfill each year, according to the 2024 Hamilton County Organics Feasibility Study. La Soupe captures less than 1% of that surplus, and this year we’re on track to rescue 1.6 million pounds of food and produce 2 million servings. Meanwhile, demand from our partners keeps growing as families navigate rising costs and uncertainty around programs like SNAP and Medicaid.

We are not racing to adopt AI for its own sake, but we are committed to using every tool available, thoughtfully, responsibly, and in service of our mission. The people we serve and work with are not a data problem to be optimized. They are our neighbors.

Technology will keep changing. Our commitment will not.

Sincerely,

Emmy Schroder
La Soupe’s (Human) Executive Director

PS: Yes… AI helped me refine this article. A fitting reminder that, when used intentionally, it can streamline processes to give us more time to make an impact. The thinking, editing, passion, and commitment behind this letter remain entirely human.