Free tool helps families save money by using food already in their kitchens

A teenager recently launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered website designed to reduce food waste and help households save money by using what's already in their pantries and refrigerators.

Smit Kothari, 17, of Virginia, said he was inspired to create Grocery Genius after watching his family survey the random ingredients they had at home and have no idea what to make.

"I did some more research, and I found out that many other families have that same exact problem," Kothari told Fox & Friends.

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The website enables users to enter information about the food they already have at home into the app. The AI then generates three recipe ideas, along with nutritional information and money-saving tips.

There are features to help people plan meals and track their nutrients, including calories and macros.

The program is also able to tailor recipes based on dietary restrictions and people's cooking abilities.

Grocery Genius includes a "Smart Pantry" feature that lets people track items and receive alerts before food expires, so they can use it or donate it.

Kothari said he realized two problems – food waste and hunger – correlate.

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"Some people are letting foods expire, they waste it, while many others are starving," he said.

A trip Kothari took to Africa also inspired him to create Grocery Genius.

"I saw lots of impoverished families who struggled with hunger," he said in an interview with Virginia television station WVEC. "I've seen that problem firsthand, and I thought that's a big one that I really wanted to focus on."

The website describes itself as "your kitchen's smartest assistant," offering "everything you need" to "cook smarter." It's free to use and only requires an email address to sign up.

Christopher Tan, president and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, mentored Kothari while he was developing Grocery Genius.

"The beauty of this app is it has so many different applications that could help any number of families in need and any number of families who also give to us," Tan told WVEC.

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"I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten what's in my pantry. If I have an app that can help me track that and remind me to donate food before it goes to waste, all of that can happen through his app."

Grocery Genius won second place in the national Congressional App Challenge, a competition for middle and high school students that encourages them to learn to code and inspires them to pursue careers in computer science."

Kothari, who is a rising senior at Ocean Lakes High School, told Fox & Friends that he plans to continue developing Grocery Genius next year as he goes off to college.

"I've been getting lots of feedback [from] users, and I want to keep enhancing [it]," he said.