A wave of apps to help consumers, including people working in corporate centers and other businesses, connect with discount food before it goes to waste has been on the rise over the last few years, along with apps to connect food with local organizations to help feed those in need. The United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service estimated in a 2010 study that 31% of the overall food waste in the U.S. was at the consumer and retail level.
One app looking to battle the USDA’s estimate of between 30-40% annually (2010 estimate) of the country’s total food supply for this type of waste is known as Flashfood. Patrons, according to information on the company’s website, can get discounts of up to 50% at participating grocers through the app, where consumers can browse for deals near them.
Retailer Meijer said in a May 2022 press release that it had diverted over 1 million pounds of food that may have been headed to a landfill through its Flashfood program. The program had been ramped up in 2021, Meijer said in its release. Consumers had purchased the products nearing their sell-by date through the program, the retailer stated.
The actions by Meijer and the app’s producers fall into the higher portions of the food recovery hierarchy and keeps these items out of the landfill.
The total amount of food considered by the USDA in 2010 (U.S.) was approximately 133 billion pounds. Using the USDA’s Warm model, with an estimated 39.9 to 53.2 billion pounds of food wasted using these metrics, this is equivalent to removing the annual emissions of nearly 2.6 to more than 3.42 million passenger vehicles if this material is consumed or composted instead of being sent to a landfill.
Food Rescue Hero is also working to reduce food waste with its app that connects volunteer drivers with surplus food in the nearby area from restaurants and grocers. These drivers then deliver the food to where it’s needed, such as nonprofits and community centers. According to Food Rescue’s website, the company has diverted over 100 million pounds of food from being wasted.
This is not a comprehensive list of available apps or groups doing this kind of work.