'Krafting' meals with new kiosks

NORTHFIELD, Ill. — A few years after launching its iFood assistant, a tool for on-the-go users that provides recipes and entertainment tips, Kraft is taking meal planning to the next level.

Teaming up with technology innovator Intel, new Kraft Meal Planning Solutions transforms traditional self-service kiosks into a platform where consumers can obtain recipes, shopping suggestions, promotional coupons and even product samples. The kiosks reportedly also will use facial recognition to determine a consumer's gender and will suggest dinner meal options.

Kraft and Intel said the kiosks are integrated with the Kraft iFood Assistant application for smart phones. This, the companies said, makes it easy to add recipes, shopping lists, etc., to a mobile phone in real time via a 2D barcode scanner. For retailers looking for enhanced point-of-sale integration, it also can be tied into the retailer’s POS and loyalty card program, they added.

The Kraft Meal Planning Solutions kiosks reportedly are being pilot-tested in retailers.