Mobile App Offers Expiring Grocery Items At Big Discounts

ST. CLOUD -- Target Corporation is testing a new mobile app here in St. Cloud that saves you money on groceries, and at the same time cuts down on the amount of food they have to throw away. The free-to-download app called "Flashfood" is being test marketed at the two St. Cloud Target stores as well as the SuperTarget in Monticello.
Ryan Weber of St. Cloud's Great North Labs says the app allows you to buy food that is about to expire at deep discounts.

The discounts are significant, so download the app and you can see the available products at each store and what their prices are, make your selection, and then you just show up at the store and pick up your food at the customer service desk.

Weber has been mentoring the app's founder Josh Domingues. He says the amount of food waste is staggering.

Currently, in the U.S., there's $26 billion a year of food that is wasted from grocery retailers.  Retailers are throwing out food after it's expiration date.  So, this service provides consumers with the opportunity to buy food that's near its expiration date at heavy discounts.

"Flashfood" launched for the Target stores on Monday and the pilot run will last until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Some of the discounted grocery items today on the app, at the Target East store; stew meat is marked down from $6.29 to $3.14, a chef salad is marked down from $3.29 to $1.64, and a value pack of chicken wings is marked down from $9.99 to $4.99.

The app has already been available for a few grocery stores in Canada for about a year now.

The Toronto-based company is also planning to eventually open an office in Minnesota -- potentially here in St. Cloud -- to continue to grow their U.S. presence.

Weber says his company Great North Labs has not made a financial investment in "Flashfood" yet, but they may.

Great North Labs is a venture fund focusing on investing in early-stage tech start-ups.