A new app aimed at reducing food waste is coming to Rhode Island via Stop & Shop locations in Pawtucket and Providence.
Flashfood, an app based out of Canada, recently partnered with the Quincy, Massachusetts-based grocery store chain. The app allows customers to browse foods nearing their best-by dates and then pick up their order from the FlashFood zone located inside their local Stop & Shop store.
Since launching last year with a pilot program in Worcester, Massachusetts, Flashfood has helped save nearly 35,000 pounds of food waste, equating to 2,905 pounds of methane gas prevented from being released into the atmosphere, according to the company.
This week, Flashfood announced it had raised more than $12 million in venture capital. The Series A investment round was led by ArcTern Ventures and existing investors including General Catalyst, Food Retail Ventures, entrepreneur Rob Gierkink and investor Alex Moorhead.
Louise Castonguay, Flashfood’s content and community manager, said more than 300,000 people are using the app. While the majority of users are families looking to save money, Castonguay said the company does partner with local organizations helping to feed the needy.
Small-business owners are also taking advantage of Flashfood, Castonguay said. For example, she said a woman in Michigan used Flashfood's $5 produce boxes, which are filled with five to 10 pounds of mixed produce, to help keep costs down for her small-batch cocktail-delivery business during the pandemic.
“It helped her stay creative because the variety in boxes pushed her to feature untraditional flavors like carrot or pomegranate juice in cocktails,” she said. “Our user base is primarily families who are trying to stretch their monthly grocery budget, though we're open to partnering with local organizations.”
Flashfood has partnered with 1,200 stores including Giant, Stop & Shop, Meijer, Tops, Martin’s Markets, Family Fare and Loblaw Cos. Ltd.
The latest expansion will make Flashfood available at the following Stop & Shop locations in Rhode Island:
- 368-398 Cottage St., Pawtucket
- 850 Manton Ave., Providence
- 1128 Mineral Spring Ave., North Providence
- 333 West River St., Providence
- 1925 Pawtucket Ave., East Providence
