Input Stories

A new artificial intelligence tool developed by Mondelez International is changing the process of taste-testing at the snack foods giant (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).

What’s going on: In the competition to win over consumers’ taste buds in a crowded market, Mondelez and other food firms “are racing to try out AI in every area of their business, from supply chains to marketing to recipe development.”

• At Mondelez’s New Jersey research-and-development center, “[f]ood scientists there use the AI tool to create optimal recipes by specifying desired characteristics, including flavor (‘buttery,’ ‘in-mouth saltiness’ or ‘vanilla intensity,’ for instance), aroma (‘oily,’ ‘egg flavor,’ ‘burnt,’ among others) and appearance (‘amount of chips,’ ‘roundness,’ ‘chip edges’ are considerations).”
• “The tool also considers parameters like the cost of ingredients, their environmental impact and their nutritional profile.”

About the tool: The company started developing the tool—which uses machine learning rather than generative AI—in 2019 with the help of a software consulting firm.

• It’s been used in more than 70 projects and has resulted in everything from “the Gluten Free Golden Oreo to refreshed recipes on classics.”

Not too much innovation: Because consumers tend not to like to stray too far from the tastes they know, “[f]ood scientists using the tool do select different characteristics, but work closely with ‘brand stewards’ of each snack to make sure that basic requirements are met.”