Kroger Launches Chefbot, a First-of-Its-Kind AI Twitter Tool that Delivers Personalized Recipe Recommendations Based on Ingredients Already in Users' Kitchens

Chefbot is the latest innovation from America's largest grocery retailer created to reimagine the cooking experience by using artificial intelligence technology to make the most out of what's already in your fridge

News provided by

The Kroger Co.

Oct 12, 2020, 09:03 ET

CINCINNATI and NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), America's favorite grocer, today launched the first generation of Chefbot, its AI-powered Twitter recipe tool that helps users' pair the groceries in their fridge and reduce food waste by providing mealtime inspiration and personalized recommendations.

Developed in partnership with integrated creative and media agency 360i, and technology partners Coffee Labs and Clarifai, Kroger's Chefbot offers an innovative and user-friendly conversational solution for breaking away from mundane mealtime routines and unwanted at-home food waste—common challenges for many as families continue to enjoy more meals together at home. Chefbot's AI analyzes photographs to recognize nearly 2,000 ingredients, unlocking 20,000 Kroger recipes for users to cook.

How Chefbot Works

Snap: Users snap a photo of three ingredients from their refrigerator or pantry
Tweet: Users tweet their photo to @KrogerChefbot. Through artificial intelligence, Chefbot identifies ingredients and then scans thousands of unique recipes on Kroger.com
Cook: Within seconds, Chefbot responds to the user's original tweet to deliver a list of personalized recipe recommendations based on the selected ingredients

"Last year, we launched Kroger's Fresh for Everyone brand transformation campaign to underscore our commitment and belief that everyone should have access to fresh, affordable and delicious food," said Mandy Rassi, Kroger's vice president of marketing. "Chefbot is one of the ways we're delivering on that brand promise by making it even easier for our customers to achieve their meal aspirations, especially as the majority of shoppers are eating meals prepared at home multiple times a day during the pandemic. We're thrilled to partner with industry thought leaders like 360i, Coffee Labs and Clarifai to bring Chefbot to our customers, and we look forward to this innovative technology inspiring fresh and delicious meals in kitchens across the country."

Chefbot provides an interactive experience to help make life at home more manageable and reinforces Kroger's commitment to Fresh for Everyone as well as encourages professional foodies and amateur cooks alike to utilize use all the food found in their pantries to help reduce food waste. Chefbot's experience includes multiple touchpoints, offering fun social engagement through Twitter paired with Kroger.com e-commerce integration. Over time with learned insights, Chefbot's food recognition and recipe search technology will evolve and improve, allowing the possibilities of this powerful tool to advance.

"Never has it been more necessary for people to be able to find quick, sustainable, and easy solutions for making meals at home - and no place makes it easier for food brands to engage directly with these people than Twitter," said Dennis Bree, Twitter's Director of Catalyst + Government & Causes. "Through the use of innovative technology, Kroger is bringing meal-time inspiration to the people on Twitter who are actively Tweeting about the need for new recipes more than ever before."

"Chefbot illustrates how marketers can tap into augmented intelligence to deliver true service and value," said Menno Kluin, Chief Creative Officer, 360i. "Innovation often happens during times of seismic change. By leveraging visual AI in a bold new way, Kroger is bringing their promise of Fresh for Everyone to life while addressing pain points and helping shoppers maximize their purchases."

Click HERE to tweet your ingredients to Chefbot and begin cooking your next meal.

Click HERE to watch the official video introducing Chefbot, with an easy how-to tutorial.

Click HERE and HERE to view and download official hi-res images of Chefbot. Image Credit: Kroger, 360i

Click HERE to read Chefbot Frequently Asked Questions and learn more about the tool.

About Kroger
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit^®. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

About 360i
360i is a fully integrated creative and media agency that helps brands capitalize on change. As a highly strategic creative and media partner with a deep understanding of how people discover brands and share stories, we don't just react to changes in the marketplace – we predict and define them. We're built for progressive marketers hungry for ideas that make human and business sense. By bringing together some of the smartest, most curious people with expertise in data, creativity, media, strategy, search, and social, we help our clients achieve their objectives and drive their business forward. And our hustle doesn't go unnoticed. In 2019, we were selected for Ad Age's A-List – our ninth consecutive year in the coveted issue. We've also been named Adweek's Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year, one of Campaign's Top 25 Most Influential Agencies, one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, and ranked amongst the best Performance Marketing Agencies by Forrester Research. That's some range. We work with brands including Ben & Jerry's, SkinnyPop, DSW, Kroger, and Mondelez. To learn more, visit www.360i.com.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.