Beginning this month, Tops Friendly Markets will begin piloting an innovative and interactive in-store food waste program at six of its locations allowing customers to purchase food nearing its sell-by date. Items like produce, meat, deli, bakery, and dairy, may be listed at up to 50 percent off on the Flashfood app and then available for pick up at one of the designated Tops Friendly Market locations.

Tops will post flash sales of its surplus food items on the mobile Flashfood app available on Google Play or the Apple Store. Shoppers can search and purchase food directly on the app and then collect their purchased items at the designated Flashfood area at Tops — a win for the store, the shopper, and the environment.

“At Tops, social responsibility and sustainability have always been at the core of our mission, upholding standards that ensure we reduce environmental waste and energy consumption while providing customers with sustainably sourced, high-quality products, at a great value,” said Jeff Culhane, senior vice president of sales and merchandising for Tops. “The Flashfood program fits right into our business model and we’re excited to bring this unique, money saving opportunity to our customers.”

“Adding Tops to our portfolio of innovative grocer partners is a huge step as Flashfood continues to scale across America. The effort and willingness to provide shoppers with a great digital experience has been really evident working with Tops,” said Josh Domingues, founder and CEO. “Reducing food waste while affordably feeding shoppers is at the core of our mission and we intend to drive great results through this initial pilot.”

“We are always working on ways to leverage technology to create a better shopping experience for our customers,” said Ed Rick, director, consumer marketing and digital for Tops. “Partnering with Flashfood is a win for our shoppers and a win for the environment."