Tops Friendly Markets, a grocery store chain with 149 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, has expanded its partnership with Flashfood, a mobile app that helps shoppers find discounted food nearing its best-by date. With food prices up more than 11% in January 2023 versus the same month the previous year, Tops Friendly Markets is looking to provide affordable options while also reducing food waste.
Using the Flashfood app, customers can select from items such as meats, seafood, dairy, fruits, and vegetables that are nearing expiration and would otherwise be discarded. These items can be marked down as much as 60%. Customers pay for their purchases using a credit or debit card and then pick them up at Tops stores.
“Part of Tops’ core mission is eradicating hunger, and Flashfood is an innovative tool that allows us to provide quality product at a discounted price helping with the bottom line, all while diverting it from landfills,” said Jeff Culhane, senior vice president of merchandising for Tops.
Tops introduced Flashfood at six locations in 2020 and expanded it to 44 others in 2021. The latest expansion includes 18 more stores in Rochester, Albion, Avon, Canandaigua, Farmington, Greece, Hamlin, Henrietta, Hilton, Irondequoit, Ontario, Spencerport, Walworth, and Waterloo. Tops is the only supermarket in the greater Rochester region offering Flashfood, although it is available at more than 1,600 supermarkets throughout North America, including Giant Food, Giant Eagle, Save A Lot, and Loblaw.
Flashfood, headquartered in Toronto, reports that its partnership with Tops has prevented 985,358 pounds of food from being thrown out. Tops is committed to eradicating hunger, and the expansion of its partnership with Flashfood is a step towards achieving that goal.
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