AI innovation by Uncle Ben's to use Google Lens

Mars Food’s UNCLE BEN’S brand is partnering with Innit, a Connected Food platform, to launch an AI-driven innovation that will forever change the way consumers engage with food. UNCLE BEN’S is the first food brand to leverage Google Lens, Google’s visual search technology, to connect helpful digital information to physical products and unlock dinnertime solutions in-store and at home.

With an increasingly complex landscape of dietary restrictions and consumer questions – and an ever growing lack of time – grocery shopping has become daunting. The UNCLE BEN’S-Innit Google Lens experience is designed to help families cut through the clutter to provide recommendations, inspiration and information where and when they need it.

In an effort to reach as many consumers as possible this September – during Family Meals Month – hundreds of thousands of UNCLE BEN’S products will feature Google Lens stickers inviting them to use Lens on the product. Using the Google app on iOS or Google Lens app on Android, consumers can simply point their phone at UNCLE BEN’S READY RICE® packages and retail displays in the U.S. to discover dynamic content powered by Innit, including recipes with ingredient lists, nutrition advice and step-by-step videos to make cooking simple. Thanks to Google and Innit teaming up to deliver unique digital experiences, UNCLE BEN’S is able to bring to life its mission of enabling families to cook together.

“Purpose is at the heart of Mars Food and we are driven by delivering better food today for a better world tomorrow. We bring this to life everyday through our UNCLE BEN’S brand by providing healthy, tasty and convenient dinnertimes,” said Fiona Dawson, Global President Mars Food, Multisales and Global Customers. “Working with Google and Innit, we have created a powerful new way to help consumers navigate the journey from store-shelf to dinner plate, all while enabling families to enjoy the benefits of cooking together.”  

For consumers who use Innit already, the experience will go one step further with personalized recommendations based on the consumer’s preferences and dietary needs (allergies, health conditions, etc.). Innit can even calculate a personalized score for each product, based on its fit for the user, helping to make healthy choices and find the best products. For consumers struggling with the eternal question – “What’s for dinner?” – the experience instantly suggests meals that can be built around the product, along with guided cooking instructions to make it happen.

“Innit was founded on the principle of unlocking information within food, and using it to empower people to live and eat better,” said Eugenio Minvielle, founder of Innit. “We’re proud to work with Google and Mars Food to create a new way of engaging with food, helping consumers along every step in the journey.”

“With Google Lens, we want to help people search what they see to get things done throughout their day,” said Alan Joyce, Product Manager for Google Lens, Google. “By working with UNCLE BEN’s and Innit to connect their own digital information to the physical world, we think we can provide helpful information in context to help people with dinnertime.”

Powered by the latest computer vision technology and AI, Google Lens is a visual search tool that lets users search what they see, get stuff done faster, and interact with the world around them in an entirely new way. Translate text, add events to calendars, find products online and see similar styles, identify popular plants and animals, learn about landmarks, and more.

Lens is available via the Google Lens app on Android, and via the Google app on iOS. It’s also directly integrated into the camera on many Android devices.