Woolworths plans 2026 beta for AI meal planner My Woolies Chef

Woolworths is developing an AI-powered meal-planning assistant called My Woolies Chef, designed to tackle the perennial question of what to cook for dinner. The tool will be integrated into the Woolworths app and use conversational AI to generate recipe suggestions based on ingredients, dietary preferences, and occasions.

"designed to help customers answer the daily question of 'What's for dinner?'"

gadget.co.zaWoolworths developing AI food assistant 'My Woolies Chef' for in-app meal planning

The assistant draws on two decades of Taste recipe data, according to gadget.co.za, giving it a deep well of Woolworths-branded meal ideas to pull from.

Beta testing of My Woolies Chef is set to begin in September 2026 with a small group of MyDifference loyalty program members, TechCentral reported. A broader public rollout is expected in early 2027, meaning customers will have to wait more than a year before the feature becomes widely available.

TechCentralWoolworths joins SA’s grocery AI race – but you’ll wait for it

The timeline places Woolworths as a late entrant in South Africa's grocery AI race, as other retailers have already launched similar digital assistants. But the company is betting that its proprietary recipe database and loyalty program integration will give My Woolies Chef an edge when it finally arrives.