How many times do you have to throw out food because it went bad before you had the chance to use it? Many families struggle with food waste, leading to unnecessary expenses.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a family of four wastes between $300 and $400 a month on food. This figure is based on families that spend about $1,000 monthly on groceries.
Recently, we met with Francisco Sanchez, the Houston creator of the app called “Kezo”. Sanchez developed the app with co-founder Matthew Wright.
Kezo uses AI technology to identify food items with the click of your camera. It can also translate labels from other languages.
“It is able to read Japanese, Korean; it can interpret any bottle,” Sanchez said.
The app can take any group of food ingredients, identify them, and then create a step-by-step recipe using those items in the app’s “Kezo Chat.”
“The first option is an Asian-inspired stir fry, the prep, the sizzle, the toss, the finale. Option two is a soup, how to make the broth, the base,” Sanchez explained. “It took all of that and gave you two options plus the recipes? Exactly, that’s how AI works. That’s the beauty about it.”
Sanchez added that the app can also assist with beer and wine selections by using AI to read the labels and then pulling that information from the web to provide a description of what users can expect.
He emphasized that Kezo encourages users to try new things, get fresh ideas, and ultimately save money.
“You can grab anything from the pantry, anything that could be going bad or expiring, and just put them together, take a picture with the app and ask it, ‘Hey, what can I do with this?’ instead of throwing it away. It’s almost like having an experienced chef in your kitchen,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez noted that the app will always be free. However, if users want it to act as a personal assistant—saving recipes and customizing preferences—that feature will come at a cost.
You can download Kezo now, head to your pantry or grocery store, take some pictures, and get your recipes. It could save you hundreds of dollars a month.
