Save Mart, Flashfood Partner to Reduce Food Waste

The Save Mart Company recently partnered with Flashfood, a digital marketplace that provides customers access to heavily discounted food nearing its best-by date. The retailer operates 194 stores under the Save Mart, Lucky, and FoodMaxx banners throughout California and Western Nevada.

Shoppers at 44 Lucky stores in the greater San Francisco Bay Area can now use the Flashfood app. There are plans to expand to all banner locations. Using the Flashfood app, shoppers can select a Lucky store location, choose discounted items to purchase, pay directly on the app, and pick up the order in-store.

“No one wants to live in a world where food goes to waste, while at the same time families are forced to live with less,” said Nicholas Bertram, CEO at Flashfood, in a statement. “The Bay Area has long been a place where technology is used to solve humanity’s problems, which is why Flashfood desires to be part of this community.”

Flashfood aims to eliminate food waste at the retail level by connecting shoppers with savings of up to 50 percent off food nearing its best-by date that would otherwise be thrown away. The partnership will enable consumers to save on everyday offerings like meat, produce, dairy, and bakery items, as well as center-store foods and snacks.

“Through its partnership with Flashfood, The Save Mart Companies offers both sustainability and value to its customers. The Save Mart Companies is the first retailer in California to offer Flashfood, providing local communities with a new option for affordable groceries,” said Tamara Pattison, SVP and chief digital officer at The Save Mart Companies, in a statement. “Together, we’re tackling food waste so that the bounty of California’s farms ends up on the dinner table, not in a landfill.”

EBT payment capabilities are also built into the Flashfood platform, benefiting the 4.6 million SNAP customers in California, said the food waste reduction service. The company added that it will introduce SNAP EBT as a payment option for all retail partners by the end of the year in partnership with payments company Forage.