With around 168 million tonnes of food lost in North America annually, and food waste a key contributor to climate change, reducing it is a critical priority. The good news is that numerous organizations are working to reduce food waste. One ingenious program is Flashfood, which has developed an app that alerts consumers when grocery store food is nearing its expiration date and can, therefore, be purchased at a discount. Consumers can use the app to browse available items at their local grocery store, select what they want to purchase, and pick up their order at the store. The food is placed in a refrigerator near the front of the store, with Flashfood branding. Consumers receive up to 50% off Flashfood items.
Interestingly, the Flashfood app was developed in 2016, after Toronto entrepreneur Josh Domingues’ sister threw away $4,000 worth of food after a catered event. After developing the basic concept for Flashfood, Domingues interviewed hundreds of grocery store employees and industry executives to determine how to make the idea practical. From there, he piloted the approach with a few grocery stores in Ontario and Vancouver, B.C. Eventually, he would expand participation to the United States, with a variety of stores in the Midwest participating. The program is popular not only because consumers receive deep discounts on groceries, but also because grocery stores save money by reducing food waste. In addition, consumers know that they are assisting with reducing climate change associated emissions, while grocery stores benefit from the positive PR that is associated with participating in this program. Results? In 2022, the app kept nearly 13,000 metric tonnes of food from going to landfill. Further, the app was used by almost 3 million people, and saved them US $56.2 million. Grocery stores that used the Flashfood app reduced their food waste by 27% on average, with some stores reducing it by as much as 45%. To read more about Flashfood’s innovative app, see the Tools of Change website here and the Flashfood website here.
Interestingly, the Flashfood app was developed in 2016, after Toronto entrepreneur Josh Domingues’ sister threw away $4,000 worth of food after a catered event. After developing the basic concept for Flashfood, Domingues interviewed hundreds of grocery store employees and industry executives to determine how to make the idea practical. From there, he piloted the approach with a few grocery stores in Ontario and Vancouver, B.C. Eventually, he would expand participation to the United States, with a variety of stores in the Midwest participating. The program is popular not only because consumers receive deep discounts on groceries, but also because grocery stores save money by reducing food waste. In addition, consumers know that they are assisting with reducing climate change associated emissions, while grocery stores benefit from the positive PR that is associated with participating in this program. Results? In 2022, the app kept nearly 13,000 metric tonnes of food from going to landfill. Further, the app was used by almost 3 million people, and saved them US $56.2 million. Grocery stores that used the Flashfood app reduced their food waste by 27% on average, with some stores reducing it by as much as 45%. To read more about Flashfood’s innovative app, see the Tools of Change website here and the Flashfood website here.
