by Christopher Doering
Photo By Christopher Furlong – Getty Images
As artificial intelligence becomes a more important part of doing business in the food and beverage space, few companies have turned to the once-futuristic technology more than Unilever.
The consumer products company uses the technology to revolutionize and expedite the way it makes food products, leading to the launch of several new products such as Knorr Zero Salt Cube, Hellmann’s Vegan Mayonnaise and the Hellmann’s Real Mayo Squeeze Bottle.
Unilever is incorporating the technology across all facets of its business. AI helps the London-based company assess shelf life, texture and taste while predicting how the product will perform on factory lines during production. Unilever also harnesses AI to forecast flavor profiles, understand consumer preferences and boost food portfolio analytics.
Manfred Aben, the head of science and technology for Unilever Nutrition and Ice Cream research and development, recently sat down to discuss AI at the company, how it’s evolved and where it’s going next.