Woolworths Introduces AI-Powered 'My Woolies Chef' to Simplify Meal Planning

Woolworths has introduced My Woolies Chef, an artificial intelligence-powered food assistant integrated into the Woolworths app to help customers find recipes, plan meals and shop for ingredients.

The feature will be introduced to a selected group of MyDifference loyalty programme members in September 2026 as part of a beta release. A broader rollout is planned for early 2027.

Unlike general-purpose AI assistants, My Woolies Chef has been developed around Woolworths’ food offering. The system uses the retailer’s Woolworths TASTE recipe library, together with product information and online shopping functionality, to respond to customer requests.

How My Woolies Chef Works

Customers can ask the assistant for recipe suggestions using natural language instead of searching through recipe collections or product categories.

The assistant can respond to requests such as family meal ideas, vegetarian recipes, lunchbox options or meals based on ingredients already available at home. Woolworths said recommendations are generated using its recipe database and take into account locally available and seasonal ingredients.

From Meal Planning to Checkout

Once a recipe has been selected, the ingredients can be transferred to a Woolies DASH shopping basket. Customers can also adjust the shopping list to remove ingredients they already have before completing their purchase.

According to Woolworths, future updates may include personalised meal planning, shopping lists and budgeting features.

Jose Rodrigues, Woolworths Group’s Data and AI Officer, said the assistant is intended to simplify how customers search for recipes and food products by allowing them to describe their requirements in everyday language.

Testing Ahead of a Wider Launch

Woolworths said the beta programme will be used to assess how customers interact with the assistant before the broader launch planned for 2027. The retailer expects feedback from early users to help refine the system and guide future development.

“Our goal is to make technology truly useful by solving real customer problems,” Rodrigues said. “My Woolies Chef is a practical example of how AI can support customers in everyday moments, while enhancing the way they plan, shop and cook.”