Research revealed that 96% of people cannot see potential meals despite ingredients being in the fridge – an experience Hellmann's have dubbed "Fridge Blindness". Lack of time, energy and inspiration being the biggest factors.

The most challenging decision of the day is often, "What's for dinner?"

Hellmann’s thought:what if we could use technology to make it easier for people to use up the leftover ingredients they already have in personalised ways?

People needed a solution to their food waste problem and Hellmann's needed to step in in a way that would positively impact not just their plate but also their planet. Showing people creative ways to turn their leftovers into something not only worth saving but delicious to eat.

Driven by the shift from traditional cookbooks and TV shows to online and digital cooking inspiration, AI was the natural next step to save leftovers and help people overcome “fridge blindness”.

To solve the very human problem of fridge blindness Hellmann’s created ‘Meal Reveal’, an AI-enabled mobile tool to help people use up more of the food they have left in their fridge.

Say you have an onion, a tomato, and some peppers, Meal Reveal will show you a delicious fajita recipe! Making you more taste, and less waste.

Developed in collaboration with Google, every user gets a personalised experience. People can simply use their phone to scan their fridge and reveal recipe ideas that exactly match their remaining ingredients.

Meal Reveal utilises generative AI capabilities in Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform to identify the exact ingredients by using the phone’s video function.

With thousands of recipes to discover, the more fridges Meal Reveal scans, the smarter it gets, the more food, time, and money it saves.

With 70% of people seeking meal inspiration online, Hellmann’s knew the latest technology could help create a simple, practical solution that helps people think differently about the ingredients they already have in their home.

Hellmann's seized the opportunity to launch during Food Waste Action Week 2024, a period when the issue of food waste would be at the forefront of public consciousness in the UK.

To further maximise the impact and awareness of the innovative AI-powered 'Meal Reveal' tool, Hellmann's strategically placed the digital and OOH launch campaign in high-level commuter areas where they could reach people at the exact points of the day that they would be considering what to make for lunch or dinner.

Hellmann's also collaborated with British influencers to get people to scan their fridges and reveal their hidden meals in their mission to reduce the number of wasted meals a week.

With 70% of people seeking meal inspiration online, Hellmann’s knew the latest technology could help create a simple, practical solution that helps people think differently about the ingredients they already have in their home. Hellmann’s Meal Reveal was largely inspired by the rise of AI technology. Hellmann’s were keen to utilise AI to set up a long-term tool for consumers to use and combat fridge blindness.

The web app itself was developed within 7 months and the campaign went from brief to live within 3 months.

Hellmann's seized the opportunity to launch during Food Waste Action Week 2024, a period when the issue of food waste would be at the forefront of public consciousness in the UK.

To promote the tool, the execution needed an engaging and eye-catching launch campaign that really demonstrated what the app would do – reveal hidden meals in your fridge. So, to achieve this, Hellmann’s tapped into another facet of AI – the Diffusion Illusion trend, which was the perfect vehicle to dramatise the very real issue of fridge blindness. Hellmann’s worked with a CGI artist to create a suite of typographic executions featuring headlines like ‘Kebab’ ‘BLT’ and ‘Wrap’ by carefully curating random ingredients to spell out the hidden meals if you looked at them in the right way. If you couldn’t see them, the CTA prompted viewers to try the Meal Reveal app.

To further maximise the impact and awareness of the innovative AI-powered 'Meal Reveal' tool, Hellmann's strategically placed the digital and OOH launch campaign in high-level commuter areas where they could reach people at the exact points of the day that they would be considering what to make for lunch or dinner.

Meal Reveal reached a considerable audience, inspiring the UK to take a closer look at what's in their fridge during Food Waste Action Week. Despite having a humble budget of £17k and launching in only one market for now, the response was outstanding, with 16 million impressions generated across all channels in just three weeks.

The Meal Reveal app earned enthusiastic praise and loyalty, with a whopping 80% of users loving the solution for fridge blindness. Among them, 63% liked their 'best match' recipe, while 26% eagerly tried the flexipes.

The campaign successfully sparked a behaviour shift, as people embraced the untapped potential of their ingredients and made better use of leftovers. Research revealed a promising 14% return rate, indicating users' reliance on Meal Reveal for dinner inspiration. By utilising the food already in their fridges instead of relying on takeout apps, families could save approximately £780 a year.