Fredericton man builds AI grocery tool to help shoppers find cheaper meals

Taras Sheremeta created free online tool to speed up meal planning, find grocery deals

What started as a personal experiment for Fredericton IT professional Taras Sheremeta has grown into an AI-powered website that turns grocery store sales into ready-made meal plans.

Sheremeta launched the Fredericton Local Circle Club website last month. It uses artificial intelligence to scan grocery flyers, highlight deals and generate weekly meal plans based on what's on sale.

He said the project began as a personal tool before he decided to make it available to the wider community.

“I had a little inconvenience, I guess, that I tried to solve through the technology that I’m familiar with, which is computers,” he said. “It was made to be just small between myself and my friends and family, just for testing purposes.”

Built using HTML and other basic web tools, the platform gathers grocery flyers from local stores and organizes discounted items in one place. It then uses artificial intelligence to turn those deals into suggested meal plans based on available ingredients on sale.

Fredericton resident creates free artificial intelligence grocery tool to help shoppers stretch their budgets

The tool offers different categories, including budget-focused plans, balanced diets and vegetarian and vegan options. Users can generate shopping lists and track items as they plan their weekly groceries.

He said the goal is to reduce the time and mental effort involved with meal planning at a time when food prices continue to rise.

“I noticed that food prices are increasing quite a bit lately,” he said. “I want people to be able to take advantage of items that are on discount or on sale … and learn to cook and make food for themselves instead of just relying on highly processed foods.”

Sheremeta said the platform is also designed to help reduce food waste by encouraging people to plan meals around what they actually buy, rather than letting ingredients go unused.

More people in N.B. struggling to put meals on the table, food banks say

“We’ve all been in a situation where we just don’t know what to cook for dinner,” he said. “It simplifies your day-to-day life, gives you time to think and focus on more important stuff.”

Since launching, Sheremeta said he has continued to refine the platform based on user feedback and has expanded its reach into Moncton and Saint John, too.

The project comes as food banks across the province report continued pressure on services.

At Greener Village in Fredericton, Erin Pelerine, the director of development and communications, said food insecurity is increasing, with more families turning to support services, such as food banks, for the first time.

“The problem isn’t going away,” Pelerine said. “We’re finding more and more people are finding themselves in a position where they are food insecure.”

She said 82 new families accessed the organization’s services in May alone.

Pelerine said rising grocery costs are forcing households to make difficult decisions when it comes to deciding which essentials — such as rent, transportation, medication and food — to buy.

“We know of families where parents will sacrifice a supper so that their kids can have enough to eat,” she said. “We know seniors who are gambling with medications, trying to balance their food intake with their medications.”

Food bank visits in N.B. up 55% since 2025, association reports

Pelerine said tools like Sheremeta’s website reflect the different ways people are trying to cope with rising costs.

“I think that’s a phenomenal project,” she said.

Sheremeta said he hopes to continue improving the platform and adding features that make it more useful for users trying to manage food budgets.

He said future plans include better personalization, improved search tools and potential ways to connect users with more local food sources, including smaller producers and farmers where possible.

“My ultimate goal would be to help people become more self-sufficient and resilient,” he said.

Polina Kozlova is a journalist based in Fredericton. You can contact her with story ideas at polina.kozlova@cbc.ca .