Giant Eagle reports major food waste reduction, shopper savings under Flashfood

Giant Eagle and its customers have reaped the benefits after over two years of participation in the Flashfood food waste reduction program.

Toronto-based Flashfood said Tuesday that Giant Eagle has diverted more than 1 million pounds of food from landfills and saved shoppers nearly $2.5 million on groceries since launching the free app at stores in 2021.

The Flashfood program gives shoppers access to exclusive deals on products—including meat, produce, seafood, dairy, deli and bakery—that are nearing their best-by date. In turn, the significantly reduced prices—up to 50% off, Flashfood reported—drive purchases of food that otherwise would go to the retailer’s waste stream.

Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle first introduced Flashfood at 34 store locations in 2021 and then expanded the app’s availability to a total of 167 Giant Eagle and Market District supermarkets in Ohio and Pennsylvania by late 2022.

Overall, Giant Eagle’s retail network encompasses about 475 stores, including over 200 convenience stores, across western Pennsylvania, Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. For the regional grocer, Flashfood has furthered efforts to divert 90% of waste from landfills by 2025.

“At Giant Eagle, we’re constantly looking for ways to reduce in-store generated food waste and achieve carbon neutrality,” Giant Eagle spokesman Dan Donovan said in a statement. “Flashfood has been incredibly impactful to our efforts and goals. Today’s milestone is a testament to the success of the program in the communities that we serve.”

The Flashfood app enables grocery customers to browse deals at participating stores on foods that are approaching expiration, including center-store and snack items as well as perishables. Purchases are made directly through the app, and customers pick up their order on the same day from the designated “Flashfood zone” area inside the store. Items purchased are stored in a refrigerator or on a storage rack inside a Giant Eagle or Market District store until they’re retrieved by customers.

Flashfood has reported that shoppers who regularly use the program save an average of $96 per month on grocery bills. Giant Eagle customers can find a Flashfood location at flashfood.com/locations/home.

Together, Giant Eagle and Flashfood have saved what equates to nearly 840,000 pounds of CO2e- emissions from reaching the atmosphere, and the food purchased through Flashfood was received by 16,000 families across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana and West Virginia, according to Flashfood.

“This milestone is just the beginning of the impact we will continue to have in partnership with Giant Eagle,” stated Flashfood CEO and founder Josh Domingues. “The 1 million pounds of food saved so far demonstrates just how much we can achieve through like-minded partnerships centered around sustainability. Giant Eagle has consistently proven their commitment to giving families access to quality, affordable foods while doing good for the planet.”

Currently, Flashfood partners with more than 1,550 stores in the United States and Canada and with its retail partners, to date, has diverted over 65 million pounds of food from landfills and saved shoppers more than $150 million, the company said. Other U.S. and Canadian grocery chains in the United States and Canada that participate in the Flashfood program include Vallarta Supermarkets, Stop & Shop, The Giant Company, Giant Food, SpartanNash, Tops Friendly Markets, Meijer, Hy-Vee, Wakefern Food Corp. and Loblaw Cos.