Kroger expands use of Flashfood surplus food waste app
The Kroger Co. is leveraging a mobile app to help divert food products from landfills in its mid-Atlantic stores.
The grocery conglomerate is now making the Flashfood app, which offers discounts of up to 50% on groceries nearing their sell-by date with the goal of diverting food waste from landfills, available at all 100-plus Kroger stores in its Mid-Atlantic division.
Since launching in 16 Richmond-area Kroger stores in summer 2025, Flashfood has helped Kroger shoppers save nearly $700,000 on fresh groceries, while keeping more than 290,000 pounds of food out of landfills.
[READ MORE: Kroger pilots partnership with app to cut food waste]
Through the partnership, Richmond-area customers can purchase fresh groceries in surplus or nearing their best-by date — including meat, dairy, produce and baked goods — at significant discounts through the Flashfood app.
Items are then picked up from designated Flashfood zones inside participating Kroger stores. Kroger is piloting the program as part of its ongoing Zero Hunger | Zero Waste digital anti-hunger initiative.
“From the start, our Richmond customers have embraced Flashfood,” said Kate Mora, president of Kroger Mid-Atlantic. “The expansion throughout our Mid-Atlantic division is a natural next step. This will give more shoppers the opportunity to save on groceries while ensuring less good food ends up in landfills, bringing our Zero Hunger Zero Waste commitment to life in a meaningful way."
With this expansion, Flashfood is now available in more than 2,000 grocery stores across the U.S. Other retailers operating in the grocery space that have piloted and deployed Flashfood in the past few years include Earth Fare, Save Mart, Giant Food, Meijer, Hy-Vee and SpartanNash.
"In a short amount of time, the impact Kroger and Flashfood have been able to accomplish for their local communities – improving access to affordable, healthy food – is something I’m incredibly proud of," said Jordan Schenck, CEO of Flashfood. "Together, we’re building a modern, data-driven shrink management system that supports Kroger’s waste reduction goals while helping more families access the food they need."
Based in Cincinnati, The Kroger Co. operates approximately 2,800 stores under a variety of banners across the U.S., including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Metro Market and Mariano's. The mid-Atlantic division of Kroger operates more than 100 stores in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.
