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Welcome to The Checkout by Kuro House, your daily AI update show. Today, we’re diving into some exciting developments in agriculture, technology, and food delivery. Let’s get started with some concrete changes shaping our world right now.
First up, Nestlé is making a big push towards regenerative agriculture across Europe. According to Retail Gazette, Nestlé has signed a four-year partnership with Soil Capital to support nearly 230 farmers in France, Belgium, and the UK. The program focuses on key crops like wheat, corn, barley, and sugar beet, offering farmers agronomic advice, digital tools, and financial incentives tied to verified environmental outcomes. This initiative aims to improve soil health, reduce emissions, and boost biodiversity while strengthening supply resilience. It’s a great example of combining sustainability with measurable impact in farming.
Next, the UK government is investing £50 million to accelerate new farming technologies. Retail Gazette reports that this package is led by Defra and Innovate UK, backing up to 12 innovations moving from development to on-farm use. The funding combines £8 million public money with £40 million from private investors, supporting projects from robotics and AI to nature-based solutions. One standout project is a biological pesticide using fungi to protect crops, while another focuses on soil fungi to improve tree growth and carbon capture. This is a clear push to boost productivity, sustainability, and resilience in British agriculture.
Switching gears to food delivery, Deliveroo has just hit a major milestone with two billion orders worldwide. Retail Times shares that their first ever order was a Margherita pizza in London, and the two billionth was a chicken rice bowl in Paris. Some quirky trends include the Cheeseburger as the most ordered restaurant item globally, and the Margherita Pizza reigning supreme in Italy. Interestingly, hydration sachets are the top retail item ordered worldwide, and gloves made the global top 10 retail list, often added with hot chicken wings. Plus, Deliveroo delivered about 195,000 bouquets of flowers last year, proving romance is alive and well in food delivery.
Back to agriculture, Nestlé’s partnership with Soil Capital also involves digital monitoring to track soil health and carbon sequestration. This data-driven approach helps with emissions reporting, sourcing transparency, and long-term risk management. It’s a smart move to use technology for environmental accountability and supply chain resilience. As Nestlé’s sustainability head Anita Wälz put it, the goal is to back farmers with tools and science, not just ask them to take on risk. This kind of systemic change could set a new standard for the food industry.
Finally, Innovate UK’s head of agrifood, Chris Danks, highlighted how public and private funding together help scale up farming innovations. By accelerating commercialization and building investable businesses, this approach supports economic growth and practical tech adoption on farms. With plans for an additional £5 million springboard funding round in 2026 to 2027, the momentum behind agri-tech innovation looks strong. This means farmers can expect more tools that improve productivity, resilience, and sustainability in the near future.
That’s all for today’s update on the latest in agriculture, technology, and food delivery. It’s clear that data, innovation, and sustainability are driving real change across industries. Thanks for tuning in to The Checkout by Kuro House — see you tomorrow for more AI-powered insights.
