Meijer first retailer nationwide to support SNAP benefits on Flashfood
In an ongoing effort to make fresh food more accessible, Meijer announced an expansion of its Flashfood program. The move makes the nationwide retailer the first to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through the Flashfood app, which allows customers to purchase surplus close-dated food at a deep discount.
In partnership with Flashfood, Meijer is now accepting the payment capability at all its Midwest supercenters and Meijer Grocery stores, which allows customers with SNAP benefits to pay for their Flashfood orders using an Electronic Benefits Transfer card in the Flashfood app.
"As a company committed to enriching lives in the communities we serve, we're pleased to be the first retailer to expand our Flashfood program in this way," said Rick Keyes, Meijer president and CEO. "Feeding people has always been at the heart of what we do, and this is another way Meijer is working to provide extra value to those customers who need it most."
[Read more: Meijer reflects on evolution of its supercenters]
Meijer launched Flashfood as a sustainability program focused on minimizing food waste in November 2019 at a handful of its supercenters in Metro Detroit. The service is now offered at all Meijer supercenters and Meijer Grocery stores and is used by more than 500,000 shoppers. Meijer customers can now use their SNAP benefits on their Flashfood orders; they simply need to add their EBT cards as a payment method in the app.
While also cutting down on in-store food waste, Flashfood allows customers to purchase food nearing its sell-by date—like meat, produce, seafood, deli and bakery products—at up to 50% off on the Flashfood app and then pick them up from a designated refrigerator or storage rack located at the front of Meijer stores. As a result, customers have diverted nearly 5.6 million pounds of food nearing its sell-by date at a discount, preventing it from potentially entering landfills.
[Read more: Meijer opens small-format Rivertown Market in Detroit]
"We want to make healthy, high-quality groceries an affordable reality for every American family and adding SNAP benefits to Flashfood gets us one step closer to that vision," said Josh Domingues, founder and CEO of Flashfood. "We're incredibly grateful to Meijer for being our first partner to expand access to Flashfood with SNAP EBT, and for their industry-leading commitment to reducing food insecurity and increasing access to healthy food."