A program that’s obtainable at dozens of Massachusetts Cease & Store places can save prospects cash whereas limiting waste.
One in three Massachusetts adults expertise meals insecurity, in keeping with the Higher Boston Meals Financial institution, and rising costs have exacerbated the issue.
The Flashfood app goals to assist by connecting buyers with grocery shops which have meals which might be nearing their expiration dates.
“Individuals are saving hundreds of dollars on their grocery payments, cumulatively all year long, through the use of Flashfood,” stated Josh Domingues, the app’s creator.
Domingues says the common grocery retailer throws away between $5,000 and $10,000 price of meals each day. Flashfood permits prospects to pick out in any other case wasted meals for a reduced price and choose it up at an area grocery retailer.
“The power to entry contemporary, wholesome meals now at a extra inexpensive worth has a long-lasting affect on what that may do for teenagers who’re consuming more healthy or for households who can stretch their funds just a little additional and have extra meals shut at hand. the desk,” Domingues stated.
Flashfood is in 34 Massachusetts Cease & Store shops and practically 70 all through the Northeast. The corporate desires them at 300 places by the summer season.
“We need to ensure that individuals have the power to save lots of and that they’ve this useful resource that they know is obtainable to them,” stated Maura O’Brien, Cease & Store’s exterior communications supervisor.
Flashfood additionally goals to assist the atmosphere.
“The statistic is that if worldwide meals waste have been a rustic, it might be the third main reason for greenhouse gasoline emissions behind the USA and China,” Domingues stated.
Cease & Store says it has diverted greater than 170,000 kilos of meals from landfills, decreasing carbon emissions.
“All of the meals they purchased by means of Flashfood is diverted from a landfill,” O’Brien stated. “These have been objects that, in the event that they hadn’t offered and sat on the shelf, and we would finally needed to throw them away, would have ended up in a landfill, however now, prospects should buy them at a reduction and do the correct factor.” factor for the atmosphere”.
Domingues says that extra supermarkets have approached his firm and that his purpose is to be nationwide by the top of 2023.