Stop & Shop brings Flashfood to more stores

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. is expanding its participation in a digital marketplace that allows shoppers to purchase fresh items at a discounted rate. 

The retailer, which has been in the program since 2021, is adding stores in two additional New York City boroughs, Queens and Brooklyn, to the program, along with additional locations in the Bronx. Flashfood is now active in about 17 Stop & Shop locations in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The tech comes via the Toronto-based Flashfood app: shoppers use the app to buy fresh items like meat and produce that are nearing their “best before date.”

 “Our partnership with Flashfood has been a successful addition to our food waste diversion programs, helping us prevent more than 140,000 pounds of food from ending up in landfills since 2021,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said in a statement.

The system allows consumers to browse deals of up to 50% off at participating locations. After selecting a discounted item, consumers can pay with a major credit card or Visa debit card and then retrieve the product in the Flashflood “zone” at the supermarket. They then confirm the order at the customer service desk. Products include meats, dairy, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables and snacks.

Related:Loblaw makes strides in food waste reduction with Flashfood

Stop & Shop initially launched the tech in a pilot program at four stores in Worcester, Mass., and within eight months reduced nearly 35,000 pounds of food waste.

Due to the success of the pilot, the technology was then integrated into Stop & Shop stores throughout Rhode Island and the Bronx, bringing the overall food diverted from landfills as a result of the partnership in these regions to over 140,000 pounds.

There are currently over 1,450 North American stores using the Flashfood app. This includes 23 supermarket banners with some 2.5 million users over the past two years. This amounts to over 50 million pounds of food diverted from landfills, according to Flashfood. 

Along with Stop & Shop, Food Lion and Giant are among the other participating banners operated by Quincy, Mass.-based Ahold USA Inc.