How one New England grocery chain is combatting food waste

As members of the food and beverage industry, food waste is always a big concern – and not just because our food costs go through the roof when we have to compost or throw it away. It also important to remember our role in they physical results of this if we’re not composting. Landfills are filling up quickly, and methane gas production from rotting food affects our environment. In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Stop & Shop, a regional grocery chain, has started a free app called Flashfood to help combat their food waste.

By using Flashflood, users can purchase food that is close to the use-by date that would otherwise be thrown away. It began in one test store before quickly expanding to almost 70 in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island and since 2021 has kept over 170,000 pounds of food out of landfills. By the end of summer 2023 the app will be in use in over 300 regional stores. Another benefit is that programs like this also help consumers afford food they may otherwise not have been able to, or introduce them to new foods and flavors.

In our ServSafe® Manager classes we discuss the importance of keeping food in date and throwing out expired food in order to keep our customers safe – being able to manage inventory and create less waste is a worthy goal for all of us to work towards.

To read the full article, as well as see how much customers were able to save on certain items, check out the Boston Globe article here.