Fridgemate AI
Generative AI in Retail 路 Student Capstone
FridgeMate AI: Turning a Fridge Photo Into a Smarter Meal Plan
The fridge is full. So why does dinner still feel like a blank page? FridgeMate AI turns one refrigerator photo into an organized inventory and practical next steps.
The Problem
A full fridge can still hide the answer to dinner.
Food disappears behind shelves, duplicate groceries get purchased, ingredients expire before they are used, and meal planning becomes one more decision at the end of a busy day.
The Solution
Turn one refrigerator photo into ingredient awareness.
FridgeMate AI identifies visible ingredients, creates an organized inventory, prioritizes food that may expire soon, and suggests meals that begin with what the user already has.
Before and After
From 鈥淲hat do I have?鈥 to 鈥淗ere is what I can make.鈥
Before FridgeMate AI
- Search shelves and drawers to remember what is available.
- Buy items that may already be in the refrigerator.
- Notice expiring food only after it is too late.
- Start meal planning from a blank page.
With FridgeMate AI
- Begin with one refrigerator photo.
- Review a clearer inventory of visible ingredients.
- Prioritize food that should be used sooner.
- Explore meal ideas and missing shopping items.
From IKEA Kreativ to FridgeMate AI
Use visual context to simplify a comparison-heavy task.
The team studied how IKEA Kreativ begins with a room photo and uses that context to shorten a complicated shopping journey. FridgeMate AI applies the same principle to food: start with the user鈥檚 real environment, make what is already there visible, and guide the next decision from that context.
A photograph can become the starting point for a more organized and useful decision.
How FridgeMate AI Works
A clearer path from refrigerator to meal plan
Upload a photo
Begin with an image of the refrigerator鈥檚 visible contents.
Identify ingredients
Recognize the food items that can be seen in the image.
Organize inventory
Turn the detected ingredients into a more useful list.
Prioritize and plan
Highlight food to use sooner and suggest possible meals.
Shop with context
See what is missing before the next grocery trip.
Why It Matters
Small moments of clarity can improve the entire food routine.
- Reduce WasteBring ingredients back into view before they are forgotten.
- Avoid DuplicatesUnderstand what is already available before buying more.
- Save MoneyUse existing food as the foundation for the next meal.
- Reduce StressReplace the blank page with a practical starting point.
The Key Insight
Make the invisible visible.
鈥淎 single photograph can turn a refrigerator into a smart, organized inventory.鈥
Learning by Building
Start with a real decision, then design the AI around it.
FridgeMate AI shows how generative and visual AI can reduce effort when it is grounded in a familiar household problem. The prototype connects image understanding, inventory organization, meal planning, and smarter shopping in one focused experience.
Acknowledgment
Thank you.
Sidney Setyomulyono and Ellie Hong developed FridgeMate AI as part of SA国际传媒鈥檚 Generative AI in Retail program, with guidance from Prof. Kirthi Kalyanam and the Retail Management Institute.