Stop & Shop has launched a pilot program for the Flashfood mobile app at four of its Worcester-area stores in Massachusetts. The free app gives shoppers access to exclusive deals on items including meat, produce, seafood, dairy, deli and bakery which are nearing their best-by date.
The app also helps Stop & Shop in its goal to reduce food waste by 50 percent by 2030. Stop & Shop is the first retailer in Massachusetts to offer the program. 
“The Flashfood app is well aligned with Stop & Shop’s health and sustainability ambitions as it gives our customers access to fresh food at even more affordable prices – while simultaneously helping us in our goal to eliminate food waste,” said Gordon Reid, Stop & Shop president. “About $161 billion worth of food is thrown out each year in this country, and as a grocer we must do our part in reducing that number. Flashfood helps us do that, while also helping our local shoppers save.”
The USDA estimates that between 30-40 percent of the food supply in America ends up in landfills. To date, Flashfood has helped to divert more than 20 million pounds of food, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 5 million miles driven by the average car.
Stop & Shop shoppers can download the Flashfood app, available for iOS and Android, to start browsing deals on fresh items nearing expiration. Shoppers make their purchases right in the app, then pick up their order the same day from the “Flashfood zone” inside participating Stop & Shop stores. The following four Stop & Shop stores are participating in the pilot:
- 940 West Boylston Street, Worcester;
- 949 Grafton Street, Worcester;
- 545 Lincoln Street, Worcester; and
- 100 Worcester Street, Grafton.
“We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Stop & Shop to bring Flashfood to Worcester County, our first four locations in Massachusetts. The app is a game changer, especially for families and students, of which there are so many in Worcester,” said Eric Tribe, chief marketplace officer at Flashfood. “Together with Stop & Shop, we’re able to offer groceries at 50 percent off or more, so that shoppers on a tight budget can enjoy more fresh foods and discover new things. And all that while reducing food waste – it’s really a win-win for the community.”
Flashfood and Stop & Shop are working with Stop & Shop’s community-based partners in Worcester including Friendly House and the Worcester County Food Bank to market the program to area residents.
