Meijer announced it has diverted 10 million pounds of potential food waste through the Flashfood app, making it the first retailer nationwide to reach the milestone.
“Food is at the core of what we do, and we’re always looking for ways to cut down on landfill use because it’s the right thing to do for our customers and communities,” said Erik Petrovskis, director of environmental compliance and sustainability at the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company.
“Our partnership with Flashfood has already grown beyond our expectations, but this record achievement has us looking forward to the program’s future growth.”
Meijer launched Flashfood as a pilot program in November 2019 at a handful of its supercenters in metro Detroit. After reducing in-store food waste by 10 percent, the company expanded the offering to all locations in 2021. Today, 264 Meijer stores, including all of its supercenters and supermarkets, offer the program.
Through the app, customers buy food nearing its sell-by date at up to 50 percent off. They then pick up the meat, produce, seafood, deli, dairy and bakery products from the Flashfood zone at the front of Meijer stores.
According to Flashfood data, the most-purchased item from Meijer is the retailer’s produce box filled with various fruits and vegetables. Other top items include ground beef and Atlantic salmon.
“We’ve seen amazing momentum in our partnership with Meijer, particularly after expanding availability of the app across all stores. And we’re thrilled to celebrate them as our first U.S. retailer to hit this major milestone,” said Brody Slacer, head of partner growth at Flashfood.
“Working with Meijer has given thousands of shoppers access to affordable, high-quality groceries while reducing the impact of retail food waste. A rare win-win for people and the planet.”
The initiative represents one way that Meijer is approaching sustainability. It also is investing in renewable solar energy, adding EV chargers at more stores and has invested more than $1.5 million in the Council of the Great Lakes Region since 2022.
Meijer will also hold its second Sustainability Summit in October, giving vendors nationwide the opportunity to showcase their environmentally-focused products to Meijer merchants.
Read more sustainability news from The Shelby Report.
