FreshFolio's Pantry Assistant is a chat built into the FreshFolio pantry app for iPhone and Android. It answers from your own inventory: what's about to expire, what's already past its date, what you can cook from your saved recipes, what you paid and where, and what's on your Meal Calendar this week. Tell it "I used 2 eggs" or "add milk to my list" and it shows a card you confirm before anything changes.
Questions you can ask
- "What should I use up first?" Items expiring soon, plus anything already past its date.
- "What can I cook tonight?" Saved recipes you can make with what's in stock.
- "What am I missing for the lasagna?" What a saved recipe still needs.
- "Do I have any rice?" A quick stock check without opening the pantry.
- "What did I pay for coffee?" The last price you paid and the lowest in the past year.
- "How much food did we waste?" What you wasted and spent recently.
- "What's planned this week?" Your Meal Calendar for the next 7 days.
- "How do I import a recipe?" Questions about the app itself.
Start from the suggestion buttons on its first screen, Ask about your pantry, or dictate with your keyboard's microphone.
It asks before it changes anything
Say "I used 2 eggs" or "add milk to my shopping list" and the Assistant shows a card with the amount, which you can edit, plus Confirm and Dismiss. It can also add everything a saved recipe is missing to your shopping list ("add what I'm missing for the lasagna") or schedule a saved recipe ("add the lasagna to dinner on Friday"). If several saved recipes match the name you used, it asks which one first. Nothing changes until you tap Confirm, and only the cards under its latest answer can be confirmed, because your stock may have changed since.
Answers from your own pantry
The app works out the numbers itself (stock, dates, prices, and totals) and the Assistant answers from those facts instead of doing the math. It looks only at the pantry you have open, so everyone in a shared household pantry gets answers from the same inventory.
You decide what goes to AI
The first time you use an AI feature, FreshFolio asks Allow AI features? and names its AI providers, OpenAI and Google (Gemini). Tap Not now and nothing is sent. Change your answer at any time with the AI features switch in Settings. Privacy Policy →
Which plan includes this? The Assistant is included on Standard, Pro, and the 30-day free trial (no credit card required), up to 60 questions per account per day. Ask it to create a new recipe and, on Pro and the trial, it opens the AI recipe generator; on Standard it answers from your saved recipes. Compare plans →
The Pantry Assistant at a glance
| Where | The chat-bubble icon on every main tab, the menu, and Settings |
|---|---|
| What it answers | Expiring and past-date food, what you can cook, prices paid, waste and spending, and the next 7 days of meals |
| Changes | Only after you tap Confirm on its card |
| Scope | The pantry you have open |
| Daily limit | 60 questions per account |
| AI providers | OpenAI and Google (Gemini), only after you allow AI features |
| Plans | Standard, Pro, and the 30-day free trial |
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Assistant in FreshFolio?
Tap the chat-bubble icon at the top of any main tab (Actions, Shopping, Pantry, Recipes, Meals). It's also in the menu and in Settings, labeled Assistant. It answers about the pantry you have open; switching pantries starts a new chat.
Can the Assistant change my pantry or shopping list?
Only after you confirm. Say "I used 2 eggs" or "add milk to my shopping list" and it shows a card with the amount you can edit, plus Confirm and Dismiss. It can also add a saved recipe's missing ingredients to your shopping list or put a saved recipe on the Meal Calendar. Nothing changes until you tap Confirm.
Can the Assistant create a recipe for me?
On a Free Trial or Pro plan, ask it to create a recipe and it shows a Generate Recipes button that opens the recipe generator. On Standard it answers from your saved recipes instead.
What data does the Assistant send to AI?
The first time you use an AI feature, FreshFolio asks Allow AI features? and names its AI providers, OpenAI and Google (Gemini). The Assistant sends your question and the pantry details needed to answer it, such as item names, amounts, expiry dates, and recent waste and spending totals. Tap Not now and nothing is sent. You can change your answer with the AI features switch in Settings.
Read the full Pantry Assistant guide →
