AI Chatbot Steijn Aims to Solve “What’s for Dinner?” for Millions in the Netherlands

A quick trip to the grocery store often doubles as a sprint for 38‑year‑old Kelly Willems. Living just minutes from her local Albert Heijn supermarket, she regularly juggles fluctuating household schedules—from her daughter’s after-school practice to her husband’s irregular return times—and that fast pace is exactly what Albert Heijn, the nation’s largest grocery chain, hopes to ease with its new AI chatbot, Steijn.

Accessible through the Albert Heijn mobile app, Steijn was built with Azure AI Foundry and powered by Azure OpenAI. It draws from more than 20,000 proprietary recipes and extensive nutritional data to propose meal ideas and tailored shopping lists based on conversational prompts—and even photos of users’ refrigerators.

“In a flash, Steijn suggested recipes and a shopping list to complete them,” Willems said. The suggestions—including flexible options like protein-rich salads—helped her plan an early dinner during a busy four-evening walking event she and her family were navigating.

Another user, Amsterdam-based freelancer Sander van Straaten, praises Steijn’s ability to learn preferences and reduce both planning time and food waste. “At first I thought it will just generate recipes for me,” he said. “Now it seems to learn from what I’ve chosen before … That saves time for me, and it provides some kind of ease of mind.” When he snapped a photo of his fridge’s contents, “it says, ‘Oh, you still have tomatoes. Here’s a recipe with tomatoes, if you like.’”

Albert Heijn serves approximately five million customers weekly through its 1,200 stores—about one-third of the Dutch population. According to Sjoerd Holleman, senior vice president for strategy, product and analytics, Steijn was designed to directly address the perennial dinner-time question: “What is for dinner tonight?” The chatbot adapts to dietary preferences (such as gluten-free or vegetarian needs) and offers prep time–based suggestions, aiming to streamline decision-making amid hectic family lives.

Norman van Ameyden, the product manager overseeing Steijn’s development, emphasized the speed and efficiency with which the team delivered the assistant. A compact team of eight developers built Steijn in about three months using Microsoft’s tools. Data privacy was also a priority: user interactions are anonymized and deleted within 30 days, and Azure AI Content Safety helps filter harmful content.

Beyond convenience, the app aligns with Albert Heijn’s broader sustainability goal: reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2030. Insights from Steijn—like tips on optimal storage for longer shelf life—are part of that effort.

As for new culinary discoveries, Willems now counts herself a fan of lentil soup—a new possibility Steijn suggested when she entered only three ingredients. “I never used lentils for any of my recipes … Thanks to Steijn I’m now a big fan of lentils.”