diff --git a/api/cron_smart_shopping.php b/api/cron_smart_shopping.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64b1718
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/cron_smart_shopping.php
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Cron: pre-compute smart shopping list and save to cache.
+ * Install with:  crontab -e
+ *   *\/5 * * * * php /var/www/html/dispensa/api/cron_smart_shopping.php >> /var/www/html/dispensa/data/cron.log 2>&1
+ */
+
+// Only allow CLI execution — block HTTP access
+if (PHP_SAPI !== 'cli') {
+    http_response_code(403);
+    exit('Forbidden');
+}
+
+// Define CRON_MODE before loading index.php so the router is skipped
+define('CRON_MODE', true);
+
+// Load all API functions without running the HTTP router
+require_once __DIR__ . '/index.php';
+
+const CACHE_FILE = __DIR__ . '/../data/smart_shopping_cache.json';
+
+try {
+    $db = getDB();
+
+    // Capture the JSON output of smartShopping()
+    ob_start();
+    smartShopping($db);
+    $json = ob_get_clean();
+
+    $decoded = json_decode($json, true);
+    if (!$decoded || !isset($decoded['success'])) {
+        throw new RuntimeException('Invalid JSON from smartShopping(): ' . substr($json, 0, 200));
+    }
+
+    $decoded['cached_at'] = date('c');
+    $decoded['cached_ts'] = time();
+
+    if (file_put_contents(CACHE_FILE, json_encode($decoded, JSON_UNESCAPED_UNICODE)) === false) {
+        throw new RuntimeException('Cannot write cache file: ' . CACHE_FILE);
+    }
+
+    echo '[' . date('Y-m-d H:i:s') . '] OK — ' . count($decoded['items'] ?? []) . " items cached\n";
+} catch (Throwable $e) {
+    echo '[' . date('Y-m-d H:i:s') . '] ERROR: ' . $e->getMessage() . "\n";
+    exit(1);
+}
diff --git a/api/index.php b/api/index.php
index 7eb92bc..4ee834e 100644
--- a/api/index.php
+++ b/api/index.php
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@
  * Handles all CRUD operations for products and inventory
  */
 
+// database.php must always be loaded (used both by HTTP router and cron)
+require_once __DIR__ . '/database.php';
+
+// When included by the cron script, skip HTTP headers and routing entirely
+if (!defined('CRON_MODE')) {
+
 header('Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8');
 header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *');
 header('Access-Control-Allow-Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS');
@@ -14,8 +20,6 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'OPTIONS') {
     exit;
 }
 
-require_once __DIR__ . '/database.php';
-
 try {
     $db = getDB();
 } catch (Exception $e) {
@@ -27,6 +31,9 @@ try {
 $method = $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'];
 $action = $_GET['action'] ?? '';
 
+} // end !CRON_MODE block for router bootstrap
+
+if (!defined('CRON_MODE')):
 try {
     switch ($action) {
         // ===== PRODUCTS =====
@@ -116,7 +123,7 @@ try {
             bringSuggestItems($db);
             break;
         case 'smart_shopping':
-            smartShopping($db);
+            smartShoppingCached($db);
             break;
 
         case 'save_settings':
@@ -192,6 +199,7 @@ try {
     http_response_code(500);
     echo json_encode(['error' => $e->getMessage()]);
 }
+endif; // end !CRON_MODE
 
 // ===== CLIENT LOG =====
 
@@ -1426,17 +1434,31 @@ function generateRecipe(PDO $db): void {
     }
     $ingredientsText = implode("\n\n", $ingredientSections);
 
-    // Build a mandatory-use list from the most urgent items (groups 1 + 2)
-    $urgentItems = [];
+    // Build mandatory/recommended lists:
+    // - Truly mandatory: expired (group 1) OR expiring within 1 day (group 2 + daysLeft ≤ 1)
+    //   These are genuinely at risk of being wasted RIGHT NOW.
+    // - Highly recommended: expiring in 2-3 days (group 2 + daysLeft > 1)
+    //   Fresh products like milk naturally have short shelf lives and are often used anyway,
+    //   so we suggest rather than force them.
+    $mandatoryItems = [];
+    $recommendedItems = [];
     foreach ($items as $item) {
         $g = $getItemPriority($item);
-        if ($g <= 2) {
-            $urgentItems[] = $item['name'] . ($item['brand'] ? " ({$item['brand']})" : '') . " — scade: {$item['expiry_date']}";
+        $daysLeft = floatval($item['days_left']);
+        $label = $item['name'] . ($item['brand'] ? " ({$item['brand']})" : '') . " — scade: {$item['expiry_date']}";
+        if ($g === 1 || ($g === 2 && $daysLeft <= 1)) {
+            $mandatoryItems[] = $label;
+        } elseif ($g === 2) {
+            $recommendedItems[] = $label;
         }
     }
+
     $mustUseText = '';
-    if (!empty($urgentItems)) {
-        $mustUseText = "\n\n⚠️⚠️⚠️ INGREDIENTI OBBLIGATORI (SCADUTI O IN SCADENZA IMMINENTE) ⚠️⚠️⚠️\nLa ricetta DEVE usare ALMENO uno (meglio se tutti) di questi ingredienti come ingrediente PRINCIPALE della ricetta. Non sono opzionali!\n" . implode("\n", array_map(fn($n) => "→ $n", $urgentItems));
+    if (!empty($mandatoryItems)) {
+        $mustUseText .= "\n\n⚠️⚠️⚠️ INGREDIENTI OBBLIGATORI (SCADUTI O IN SCADENZA OGGI/DOMANI) ⚠️⚠️⚠️\nLa ricetta DEVE usare ALMENO uno (meglio se tutti) di questi ingredienti come ingrediente PRINCIPALE. Non sono opzionali!\n" . implode("\n", array_map(fn($n) => "→ $n", $mandatoryItems));
+    }
+    if (!empty($recommendedItems)) {
+        $mustUseText .= "\n\n🔶 INGREDIENTI FORTEMENTE CONSIGLIATI (scadono tra 2-3 giorni)\nCerca di includerli se la ricetta lo permette, ma non è obbligatorio se non si abbinano bene:\n" . implode("\n", array_map(fn($n) => "· $n", $recommendedItems));
     }
 
     $mealLabels = [
@@ -1532,6 +1554,7 @@ REGOLE IMPORTANTI:
    f) PRODOTTI CHIUSI SENZA SCADENZA: usa per ultimi
    Costruisci la ricetta partendo dagli ingredienti delle categorie più urgenti! Usa il maggior numero possibile di ingredienti ad alta priorità.
    *** OBBLIGO: se nella sezione "INGREDIENTI OBBLIGATORI" sopra ci sono prodotti, la ricetta DEVE contenere ALMENO UNO di quei prodotti come ingrediente principale. Se li ignori, la ricetta è SBAGLIATA. ***
+   *** CONSIGLIO: gli "INGREDIENTI FORTEMENTE CONSIGLIATI" vanno usati se si abbinano bene alla ricetta, ma puoi escluderli se non si adattano — spesso sono prodotti freschi come il latte che si usano comunque. ***
 2. Prediligi una ricetta SANA, EQUILIBRATA e NUTRIENTE
 3. Usa SOLO ingredienti dalla lista sotto, più al massimo acqua, sale, pepe e olio che si presumono sempre disponibili
 4. Adatta le quantità per $persons persona/e
@@ -2250,6 +2273,34 @@ function bringCleanSpecs(): void {
     echo json_encode(['success' => true, 'cleaned' => $cleaned]);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Serve smart shopping from cache (written by cron), falling back to live computation.
+ * Cache is valid for up to 10 minutes; if stale or missing, compute on the fly.
+ */
+function smartShoppingCached(PDO $db): void {
+    $cacheFile = __DIR__ . '/../data/smart_shopping_cache.json';
+    $maxAge    = 10 * 60; // 10 minutes
+
+    if (file_exists($cacheFile)) {
+        $mtime = filemtime($cacheFile);
+        if ((time() - $mtime) <= $maxAge) {
+            $raw = file_get_contents($cacheFile);
+            if ($raw !== false) {
+                // Inject how many seconds ago the cache was created
+                $data = json_decode($raw, true);
+                if ($data && isset($data['success'])) {
+                    $data['cache_age_seconds'] = time() - ($data['cached_ts'] ?? $mtime);
+                    echo json_encode($data, JSON_UNESCAPED_UNICODE);
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Cache missing or stale — compute live
+    smartShopping($db);
+}
+
 /**
  * Smart Shopping List: analyzes usage frequency, stock levels, expiry to produce
  * intelligent urgency-ranked shopping recommendations.
diff --git a/assets/js/app.js b/assets/js/app.js
index f906ea9..f0e28b9 100644
--- a/assets/js/app.js
+++ b/assets/js/app.js
@@ -4513,17 +4513,48 @@ function estimateItemPrice(product, spec) {
 // ===== SMART SHOPPING =====
 let smartShoppingItems = [];
 let smartShoppingFilter = 'all';
+let _smartShoppingLastFetch = 0;      // timestamp of last successful fetch
+let _bgShoppingInterval = null; // kept for compatibility, cron handles refresh server-side
+
+/** Update dashboard badge from already-cached data */
+function _updateSmartUrgencyBadge() {
+    const urgentEl = document.getElementById('stat-urgent');
+    if (!urgentEl) return;
+    const urgent = smartShoppingItems.filter(i => i.urgency === 'critical' || i.urgency === 'high').length;
+    if (urgent > 0) {
+        urgentEl.textContent = `⚠ ${urgent}`;
+        urgentEl.style.display = '';
+    } else {
+        urgentEl.style.display = 'none';
+    }
+}
+
+function _renderSmartLastUpdate() {
+    const el = document.getElementById('smart-last-update');
+    if (!el || !_smartShoppingLastFetch) return;
+    const d = new Date(_smartShoppingLastFetch);
+    el.textContent = `Aggiornato ${d.getHours().toString().padStart(2,'0')}:${d.getMinutes().toString().padStart(2,'0')}`;
+}
+
+function startBgShoppingRefresh() {
+    // No-op: server-side cron handles refresh every 5 minutes.
+    // The JS fetches pre-computed cache on demand (instant response).
+}
 
 async function loadSmartShopping() {
     try {
         const data = await api('smart_shopping');
         if (data.success && data.items && data.items.length > 0) {
             smartShoppingItems = data.items;
+            _smartShoppingLastFetch = Date.now();
             renderSmartShopping();
+            _renderSmartLastUpdate();
+            _updateSmartUrgencyBadge();
             document.getElementById('smart-shopping-empty').style.display = 'none';
             document.getElementById('smart-shopping-content').style.display = 'block';
         } else {
             smartShoppingItems = [];
+            _smartShoppingLastFetch = Date.now();
             document.getElementById('smart-shopping-empty').style.display = 'block';
             document.getElementById('smart-shopping-content').style.display = 'none';
         }
@@ -4713,20 +4744,19 @@ async function loadShoppingCount() {
     } catch {
         document.getElementById('stat-spesa').textContent = '-';
     }
-    // Smart urgency badge
-    try {
-        const smart = await api('smart_shopping');
-        const urgentEl = document.getElementById('stat-urgent');
-        if (smart.success && smart.items) {
-            const urgent = smart.items.filter(i => i.urgency === 'critical' || i.urgency === 'high').length;
-            if (urgent > 0) {
-                urgentEl.textContent = `⚠ ${urgent}`;
-                urgentEl.style.display = '';
-            } else {
-                urgentEl.style.display = 'none';
+    // Smart urgency badge: use cached data if fresh (< 2 min), else fetch
+    if (smartShoppingItems.length > 0 && (Date.now() - _smartShoppingLastFetch) < 2 * 60 * 1000) {
+        _updateSmartUrgencyBadge();
+    } else {
+        try {
+            const smart = await api('smart_shopping');
+            if (smart.success && smart.items) {
+                smartShoppingItems = smart.items;
+                _smartShoppingLastFetch = Date.now();
+                _updateSmartUrgencyBadge();
             }
-        }
-    } catch { /* ignore */ }
+        } catch { /* ignore */ }
+    }
 }
 
 async function loadShoppingList() {
@@ -7290,6 +7320,7 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
     initInactivityWatcher();
     initSpesaMode();
     initScreensaverShortcuts();
+    startBgShoppingRefresh();
 });
 
 // ===== DUPLICLICK (SPESA ONLINE) =====