Pasta Sauce Company Prego Makes Dinner Recording Device…Why?
Prego introduced the “Connection Keeper,” a small, puck-shaped recording device designed to sit at the center of the table and capture conversations as they happen. It was developed in partnership with StoryCorps, a nonprofit known for recording and preserving personal stories from everyday people. According to the company, the idea is to encourage families to put their phones aside and engage with each other, while optionally preserving those interactions.
The device includes a single button to start and stop recording, two microphones, and a microSD card for storage. It does not connect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and does not include any AI features. Recordings stay on the device unless users manually transfer them to a computer using a cable. From there, they can choose to upload the audio to StoryCorps, where it can remain private or be shared more broadly. If shared, recordings may become part of the Library of Congress's archive.
The idea builds on the work of StoryCorps, which has been recording and saving personal conversations for years. Prego decided to take a page from their book and give people a device they can place at the dinner table to “keep the memory alive.” While that may appeal to a small group interested in documenting family interactions, it also raises the question of why a pasta sauce brand is inserting itself into something this personal in the first place.
The product is being released as part of a $20 bundle that includes the recording device, a USB-C cable, Prego meal items, and a set of conversation prompt cards designed to guide discussion at the table. The initial run appears limited, with only a small number of units expected to be available at launch.
Recording a dinner conversation can change how people interact. Research, like a 2017 study from the University of Cambridge on the observer effect, shows that people tend to act differently when they know they’re being recorded. The only way to capture completely natural conversations would be to record without people knowing, which brings up obvious concerns around consent.
Prego states that the device does not collect data and does not connect to the internet, leaving control over recordings entirely with the user. Even so, the product has left people wondering who approved it and why create a device that does one thing a phone can already handle just as easily.
For more articles like this, check out our Lifestyle News page!