Flashfood app offers discounts on groceries nearing best-by date
NEW YORK - At a supermarket on Union Turnpike, there's a new way to get groceries.
In Queens and at Stop & Shop locations across the Tri-State Area, an app is rescuing food before it expires by offering it at a discount.
Flashfood allows shoppers to search what's available at their local store and find price cuts up to 50% on items like fruit, bread, milk and meat. They purchase online in advance and pick up in-store.
Stop & Shop's external communications manager Daniel Wolk says the app is easy to use.
"You go to customer service, you show them your app, and they go grab the food. It's already pre-packaged and ready for you to take home," he said.
The demand for discount programs and food assistance comes amid high inflation and food insecurity in our area. But buying food before it gets thrown out has an environmental impact, too.
EPA estimates in a 2021 report that yearly food loss and waste in the United States embodies 170 million metric tons of CO2e greenhouse gas emissions, equal to that of 42 coal-fired power plants.
But is food nearing its best-by date safe to eat? Jenna Harris, Associate Director of Donor Relations and Supply Chain at City Harvest, says yes, that "best-by" is a nebulous term.
"The manufacturers are putting those dates on for other reasons," she said. "They are absolutely confusing, and, I think, is a major issue and is causing a lot of waste in this country."
Flashfood is available at over 1,000 locations across North America, and Stop & Shop plans to roll out the program at even more of its stores.