As grocery prices rise more Canadian shoppers turning to food rescue apps

Amy Moyer of Scarborough has been using the food rescue app FlashFood for the past 18 months and says the savings have been remarkable.

“It's been really helpful providing meals for our family,” Moyer said. “According to the app, we have saved $3,600 so far which has obviously really helped us."

FlashFood is now available in 720 Loblaws stores and franchises across Canada and is now also available in the U.S.

Shoppers use the FlashFood app on their phone to see what food has been discounted as it is nearing its best before date, pay for the items and then pick them up in the FlashFood zone of their participating store.

Customers can often save 50 per cent on items nearing their best before date such as meats, dairy, seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables, desserts and more.

Loblaws has diverted 40 million pounds of food from landfill sites and saved Canadians $110 million on groceries so far with help from the app.

“Our average shopper is saving $500 a year and some of our top shoppers are saving tens of thousands of dollars a year,” said Josh Domingues, Founder and CEO of FlashFoods.

As an example, Domingues showed chicken breasts that were selling for $22 with a best before date of Nov. 10 were selling for $11 and can be stored in the freezer before then.

Apple and cherry pies were discounted 50 per cent off and can also be frozen prior to the best before date.

“We have many of our customers who tell us they have invested in freezers to take advantage of the sales they find on FlashFood,” Domingues said.

Fresh produce is also offered through the app. A large box of fruits and vegetables weighing 20 pounds was selling for $5.

Sylvain Charlebois, a food researcher and professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said that food rescue apps are becoming more popular and are a great way to try and stop food waste and help consumers save money.

Charlebois said that FlashFood, Food Hero and Too Good To Go are all food rescue apps that can help people cut their food bill and keep groceries out of landfill sites.

“For people with less means or if they are on tight budget food rescue apps are probably the best way to save money right now," Charlebois said.

Domingues said that FlashFood helps benefit the consumer by saving money, the retailer by making use of their products and not throwing them out and the planet by helping combat climate change.

The food rescue apps can be downloaded for free and you can start searching for deals near you. The items on sale will be different from store to store and many shoppers do check several times a day so popular items often go fast.