SpartanNash Expands Partnership With Flashfood

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash is expanding its work with food-waste reduction company Flashfood, giving customers in Iowa and Nebraska the chance to use the Flashfood app to purchase items nearing their best-by date at discounted prices.

Shoppers at 44 Family Fare and VG's Grocery stores in Iowa and Nebraska now can go online to purchase reduced-price meat, dairy products, produce, baked goods and center-store items through the Flashfood app and then pick up their order in store from a designated "Flashfood zone." SpartanNash first teamed with Flashfood in 2020 for service at Family Fare and Martin's Super Markets stores in Michigan and Indiana; the newly announced expansion marks Flashfood's first appearances in Iowa and Nebraska.

In a news release, SpartanNash said that in less than two years, the partnership has helped divert 180,000 pounds of food from landfills. More than 40,000 shoppers at SpartanNash-owned stores use the app, the company stated.

"We're delighted to create food solutions for the communities and families we serve while keeping many food products near the end of their shelf life out of landfills," SpartanNash CMO Amy McClellan said in a statement. "To lower shoppers' grocery bills at a time when many are struggling with inflation costs while also saving nutritious food from going to waste is a win-win in our book." 

SpartanNash, which operates retail, distribution and military business divisions, noted that reducing food waste and providing affordable access to nutritious foods are key focus areas within the company's ESG strategy. In December, the company announced plans to cut its fleet mileage by more than 7 million miles in 2022 in a move to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Flashfood currently operates in more than 1,200 grocery stores in 10 states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin) as well as Canada. The company, founded in 2016, has continued to add new retail partners and expand its existing partnerships, having teamed up with Stop & Shop last month and Giant Food in October and completed its rollout to all Meijer supercenters last year.