Dive Brief:
- Kroger has expanded its partnership with Flashfood, bringing the food waste reduction solution to its entire Mid-Atlantic division footprint, according to a Wednesday announcement.
- Incorporating Flashfood supports Kroger’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste mission, Kate Mora, president of Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic Division, said in an interview.
- The expanded partnership also includes offering customers a series of free virtual nutrition classes through a Kroger Health collaboration.
Dive Insight:
Kroger began piloting Flashfood in July 2025 at 16 stores in the Richmond, Virginia, area. By early March, 61 Kroger stores were offering the food waste technology solution, followed by the completed rollout to over 100 stores on March 30, according to Mora.
“I had seen Flashfood in other organizations, seemingly serving a need that I saw an opportunity to bring into Kroger Mid-Atlantic: to offer our customers another option at getting fresh, nutritious, affordable food, and also being very mindful of our commitment to zero waste,” she said.
The partnership currently focuses on items reaching their best-by dates in fresh departments, including meat, produce, bakery and deli goods. Mora said she sees opportunities to expand the departments that Flashfood covers for Kroger in the future.
Leading up to the division-wide rollout, customers were introduced to Flashfood via the company’s in-store coolers as well as QR codes to download Flashfood’s app, Mora said. Flashfood also spearheaded a social media campaign that includes partnerships with local influencers, she added.
Kroger Health is also playing a role in Flashfood’s expanded partnership, creating a series of nutrition classes that offer “tips for preparing easy, healthy meals on a budget” with ingredients found on Flashfood.
“This partnership and these nutrition classes are a natural extension of our impact. Surplus food is a multiplier for access, and Kroger Health helps us turn access into something that genuinely improves how families eat,” Flashfood CEO Jordan Schenck said in emailed remarks to Grocery Dive.
Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic Division is currently the only Kroger division that has partnered with Flashfood, Mora said, but added that there is “potential for additional divisions to include Flashfood as one of their offerings.”
