Dive Brief:
- Kroger is testing Flashfood’s food waste reduction solution in 16 Richmond, Virginia-area stores, according to a Thursday press release.
- Customers will have the ability to purchase foods in surplus or nearing their best-by date from across categories at a discounted price through the Flashfood app.
- The partnership adds to Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste program, supporting the program’s efforts to both limit food waste and make groceries more accessible.
Dive Insight:
Flashfood hopes to expand the partnership with Kroger beyond Richmond in the next three to four months, Flashfood CEO Jordan Schenck said in an interview.
Schenck said Flashfood plays well into Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, which is the grocery company’s in-house effort to tackle food waste and improve food accessibility. Flashfood “fits squarely in that… [as] we answer both sides of the equation,” Schenck said.
Kroger stated in its 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance report that it aims to have “100% of [its] retail stores actively donating surplus fresh food by 2025.” The grocery company plans to divert 95% of the more than 166,000 tons of food waste it expects to generate this year. By comparison, the company diverted just under 52% of the more than 265,000 tons of food waste it generated in 2023.
As the Kroger pilot expands, the grocer will receive more updated technology from Flashfood, including its new partner app. The app, which launched in beta last week, includes updated analytics and more dynamic pricing opportunities for its retail partners with AI-driven and predictive insights, according to Schenck. The updated app will roll out across Flashfood’s operations later this year, she said.
Richmond is a “net-new area and region for Flashfood,” Schenck said.
Kroger marks the first major partnership Flashfood has announced since Schenck stepped into the CEO role in early May. She is the first woman to helm the technology company. Flashfood has established partnerships with a number of grocers, including Meijer, Family Fare, Loblaw, Tops Friendly Markets and Giant Eagle.
The Kroger partnership “does signal where we’ve grown as a business in a much more meaningful way,” Schenck said. “It does help really bolster where we are heading as we grow up as a company and then also grow up as a company in tech in grocery.”
