Meijer Launches New Mobile-App Program to Reduce In-store Food Waste

Meijer launched mobile-app, Flashfood, in a handful of its Metro Detroit supercenters. The app allows consumers to purchase food nearing its best-buy date at a reduced price.

Flashfood is a Canada-based company and allows retailers to upload surplus close-dated foods to an app that are available for purchase. Consumers go to the app, select a Meijer store, choose the items they want to purchase and pay for them directly on the app. Then they can go in-store to pick up their items and confirm their order with customer service.

Consumers can purchase close-dated fresh food items including meat, produce, seafood, deli and bakery products on the Flashfood app up to 50 percent off and then pick them up. The purchased food is stored in a refrigerator or storage rack located in the front of each of the participating Meijer stores until picked up by the consumer.

“Food is at the core of what we do, and we are constantly looking at ways to minimize in-store waste because it’s the right thing to do for our communities and our customers,” said Don Sanderson, GVP of Fresh for Meijer. “We are excited to work with Flashfood and learn how much food can be spared from landfills.”

In addition to testing the Flashfood app, Meijer has a Food Rescue program that donated more than 10.6 million pounds of food in 2018 to local food banks. Meijer has also put food waste created during the manufacturing process of its food to better use. For example, waste from Meijer dairy facilities in Ohio and Michigan are turned into animal feed and fresh food byproducts are sent for anaerobic digestion and turned into compost.

“Reducing food waste is an important goal at Meijer,” said Erik Petrovskis, Director of Environmental Compliance and Sustainability for Meijer. “There are creative solutions throughout a food’s life cycle that can reduce landfill use and production of greenhouse gasses, and I am pleased we are looking at another in-store option that benefits our customers.”