Hy-Vee develops new pilot app

Hy-Vee is bringing in a new pilot program to help reduce food waste for grocers.

The company announced a new pilot called Flashfood, the first and only mobile app that partners with grocers to help reduce food waste by allowing shoppers to browse and purchase food items approaching their “best before” date at significantly reduced prices.

“We’re thrilled Hy-Vee has chosen to participate in reducing their food waste through the Flashfood platform,” said founder and CEO Josh Domingues. “They have a brand synonymous with innovation and we are excited to offer their products from their Madison and Fitchburg, Wisconsin, locations to our community.”

According to the company, through the partnership, Hy-Vee customers can now purchase high-quality food items at a reduced price. By downloading the Flashfood App, consumers can browse through available deals on items like meat, dairy, bread and snacks. Product purchases are then made directly from the customer’s phone and picked up at any time from the Flashfood zone in the grocery store.

“At Hy-Vee, we know it’s important that we do our part as grocers to reduce food waste,” said Jessica Ringena, Hy-Vee’s vice president of innovation and business development. “In 2018 alone, our food waste diversion programs at all our Hy-Vee stores have kept more than 25 million pounds of food waste out of landfills. This partnership with Flashfood is just one more way we can further increase our sustainability efforts.”

The Flashfood App and program will be available at both Madison Hy-Vee locations as well as the Fitchburg Hy-Vee store in Wisconsin.