A program that’s out there at dozens of Massachusetts Cease & Store places can save clients cash whereas limiting waste.
One in three Massachusetts adults expertise meals insecurity, in keeping with the Better Boston Meals Financial institution, and rising costs have exacerbated the issue.
The Flashfood app goals to assist by connecting consumers with grocery shops which have meals which might be nearing their expiration dates.
“Individuals are saving hundreds of on their grocery payments, cumulatively all year long, through the use of Flashfood,” stated Josh Domingues, the app’s creator.
Domingues says the typical grocery retailer throws away between $5,000 and $10,000 value of meals day-after-day. Flashfood permits clients to pick in any other case wasted meals for a reduced price and decide it up at a neighborhood grocery retailer.
“The power to entry contemporary, wholesome meals now at a extra reasonably priced worth has a long-lasting impression on what that may do for youths who’re consuming more healthy or for households who can stretch their finances slightly additional and have extra meals shut at hand. the desk,” Domingues stated.
Flashfood is in 34 Massachusetts Cease & Store shops and almost 70 all through the Northeast. The corporate needs them at 300 places by the summer season.
“We wish to be sure that individuals have the flexibility to save lots of and that they’ve this useful resource that they know is accessible 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 had been a rustic, it might be the third main reason for greenhouse gasoline emissions behind the US and China,” Domingues stated.
Cease & Store says it has diverted greater than 170,000 kilos of meals from landfills, lowering carbon emissions.
“All of the meals they purchased by means of Flashfood is diverted from a landfill,” O’Brien stated. “These had been objects that, in the event that they hadn’t offered and sat on the shelf, and we might finally needed to throw them away, would have ended up in a landfill, however now, clients should buy them at a reduction and do the proper factor.” factor for the atmosphere”.
Domingues says that extra supermarkets have approached his firm and that his purpose is to be nationwide by the tip of 2023.