Oreo’s Owner Is Using AI To Create New Snacks

Mondelez International, the company that owns Oreaos and Chips Ahoy, is using AI to create new snacks.

Kevin Wallenstein, who works in biscuit research and development for the company, shared, “We’re doing things more efficiently.”

Mondelez uses machine learning AI rather than generative AI, which is used for ChatGPT.

The AI tools used by Mondelez “help them come up with new flavors, based on desired taste, aroma, or appearance profiles.”

Oreo’s owner is using AI to create new snacks — and get them on shelves 5 times faster https://t.co/GZFDKhZjNk pic.twitter.com/WCXlTzVv1O

— New York Post (@nypost) December 27, 2024

Here’s what The New York Post reported:

Mondelez International, the snack giant that manufactures Oreos and Chips Ahoy, is using artificial intelligence to create delicious new recipes and move them to market at lightning speed.

“We’re doing things more efficiently,” Kevin Wallenstein, who works in biscuit research and development, told The Wall Street Journal of the futuristic tech, first put into place by Mondelez back in 2019.

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Mondelez’s AI tool was developed by the software consulting firm Fourkind, which was later acquired by Thoughtworks. It uses machine learning, rather than generative AI made popular by ChatGPT.

The future of snacks just got a whole lot smarter. Oreo's new AI-powered flavor creation technology is changing the game. Get the scoop on Micro Center News: https://t.co/mdtKeItQW1
📸: ChatGPT pic.twitter.com/MqFJuWbQZu

— Micro Center (@microcenter) December 21, 2024

Per Fast Company:

There’s been no shortage of unique Oreo flavors in the past few years. The offerings seen on store shelves in recent months include toffee crunch, birthday cake, java chip, dirt cake, mint, Coca-Cola, and a pink-and-blue concoction called Space Dunk. But that’s not stopping the owner of the beloved cookie brand and its many other snacks from incorporating artificial intelligence into the brainstorming process.

Mondelēz International, which also owns Chips Ahoy, Ritz Crackers, Triscuits, Clif Bars, Cadbury chocolate, among other household-name snacks, is looking to AI to help it update its brands and offer new takes on flavors.

Food scientists at the company are using AI tools to help them come up with new flavors, based on desired taste, aroma, or appearance profiles. Beyond suggesting recipe ideas, the AI also looks at the cost to manufacture the new product as well as the nutritional profile, environmental impact, and other aspects involved in creating the snack.