Price Rite Marketplace Launches New York Flashfood Pilot

Price Rite Marketplace, a registered trademark of the Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp., has partnered with Flashfood, an app-based marketplace that seeks to eliminate retail food waste by connecting consumers with discounted food nearing its best by date. Price Rite Marketplace customers in the Buffalo, N.Y., area can now save up to 50% off select groceries that would otherwise go to waste, the company said.

The Flashfood app allows shoppers to browse and purchase fresh food, including produce, meat, deli and bakery products, nearing its best before date at significantly reduced prices. Shoppers can find deals, purchase through the app, and then pick up their items at the Flashfood zone located at their selected Price Rite store.

“We’re thrilled to work with Price Rite Marketplace as our newest partner committed to fighting food waste while helping their customers save significantly on their groceries,” said Josh Domingues, CEO of Flashfood, in a statement. “Flashfood is a triple-win for our partners, the planet and people. We look forward to offering great deals to Price Rite Marketplace shoppers and working together to end retail food waste.”

The four participating Price Rite Marketplace stores consumers can shop via Flashfood are located at 1716 Kenmore Ave., Buffalo, N.Y.; 250 Elmwood St., Buffalo, N.Y.; 1700-1750 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga, N.Y.; and 4224 Maple Road, Amherst, N.Y.

“Partnering with Flashfood is a natural next step as we continue to create environmentally friendly neighborhoods and exceptional value for shoppers,” said Jim Dorey, president of Price Rite Marketplace. “We are proud of the concerted efforts our stores have made over the years to minimize our environmental footprint and look forward to seeing the impact of our new partnership with Flashfood.”

Price Rite currently operates over 62 grocery stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Maryland. The grocer is dedicated to fighting hunger through its annual Check-Out Hunger fundraising campaign and partnerships with Feed The Children and local food banks, the company said.

Last month, Flashfood launched a partnership with the Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops Friendly Markets to offer its program, aimed at reducing food waste, to 17 new store locations across Western New York. Today, 50 Tops locations offer easier access to affordably priced goods through Flashfood.

“Approximately $37 billion worth of food is thrown out each year in the U.S. at the retail level, while an estimated 1 in 9 Americans are food insecure,” said Josh Domingues, founder and CEO of Flashfood, in a release announcing the Tops partnership. “This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by all of us working together toward smart, forward-thinking solutions that help people and the planet.”

To date, Tops and Flashfood have worked together to feed more than 3,000 families affordably; save customers an average of $108 on their grocery spend each month; divert more than 150,000 pounds of food from landfills; and save the emissions equivalent of 667,885 miles driven by the average vehicle

Flashfood also helps Tops and other retailer partners earn revenue on items that would typically be counted as a loss, the company said. By partnering with Flashfood, grocery retailers can reduce shrink and make a positive impact on their carbon footprint, the company adds.

In addition to Price Rite and Tops, to date, Flashfood has partnered with grocery chains across the U.S. and Canada to divert more than 25 million pounds of food from landfills. Its mobile app operates in over 1,000 grocery locations including The Giant Co., Meijer, SpartanNash, Giant Eagle and Stop & Shop.