Flashfood, a surplus grocery platform addressing food waste in retail operations, is now available at all 100+ Kroger stores across the Mid-Atlantic Division spanning Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Since launching in 16 Richmond-area Kroger stores in summer 2025, Flashfood helped shoppers save nearly $700,000 on fresh groceries while keeping over 290,000 pounds of food out of landfills. The expansion supports Kroger’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste commitment targeting elimination of waste in stores by 2025.
“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.”
Data-driven surplus management platform
The Flashfood platform connects shoppers with fresh produce, meat, and other groceries nearing peak freshness at discounted prices through a mobile app marketplace. The technology enables retailers to reduce surplus inventory while making nutritious staples accessible at lower price points.
“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,” said Jordan Schenck, CEO of Flashfood.
Food waste in retail operations occurs when products approach sell-by dates, suffer minor cosmetic imperfections, or represent overstock situations. Traditional disposal pathways send this edible food to landfills where decomposition generates methane emissions contributing to climate change.
Flashfood’s platform provides retailers an alternative pathway by enabling real-time pricing adjustments and consumer purchases through the app, diverting surplus inventory from waste streams while recovering value from products that would otherwise generate disposal costs.
Kroger Health nutrition collaboration
Kroger Health and Flashfood are integrating affordability into Food as Medicine initiatives through free virtual nutrition classes for Kroger shoppers. The classes share guidance for preparing healthy meals on limited budgets and maximizing fresh ingredients available through Flashfood.
“Our team is always looking for ways to make healthier choices the easy choice for our shoppers, and Flashfood helps make those options both accessible and affordable,” said Laura Brown, director of nutrition for Kroger Health. “Through these nutrition classes, we hope to make healthy living more approachable while showcasing the wide variety of nutritious options available in our stores.”
A 2025 survey found 70% of Flashfood shoppers reported healthier diets since using the platform, indicating that price reductions on fresh produce and proteins enable improved nutritional choices for budget-conscious consumers.
Platform scale and environmental impact
Flashfood operates in more than 2,000 grocery stores across North America, serving as a technology partner for major retailers addressing surplus inventory management. To date, the platform has rerouted more than 145 million pounds of food from landfills while saving shoppers more than $370 million on groceries.
The company holds B-Corp certification, meeting verified standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B-Corp certification requires assessment across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
The Mid-Atlantic Division operates more than 100 stores across five states with approximately 14,000 employees. Kroger Mid-Atlantic donated 16.5 million meals to charity and 3.6 million pounds of food to food bank partners in the most recent reporting year.
Kroger’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste initiative aims to end hunger in communities where the company operates while eliminating waste in stores. The grocer partners with nine Feeding America food banks and numerous local organizations to address food insecurity alongside waste reduction efforts.
Retail food waste context
Food waste at the retail level represents a significant sustainability challenge given the resources invested in production, transportation, and storage before products reach consumers. When edible food enters waste streams, the embedded water, energy, land use, and emissions from production deliver no nutritional value while generating additional disposal costs and landfill methane.
Retail shrink — the difference between inventory recorded and inventory available for sale — includes theft, damage, and expiration of dated products. Food waste prevention technologies enable retailers to recover value from surplus inventory while reducing environmental impacts and supporting food access for price-sensitive consumers.
