The Packer: How Food Waste Apps Are Reshaping Grocery Retail [Careit Feature]

Every year, U.S. grocery stores face food waste when items are unsold by their sell-by dates. What if there was a solution that could bring this potential waste to hungry consumers, turning loss into opportunity?

That’s the revelation behind a wave of technology-driven platforms like Careit, Too Good To Go and Flashfood, which are reframing the way retailers, nonprofits and shoppers think about surplus food. These apps provide excess inventory to people who want or need discounted food, offering straightforward, consumer-friendly methods for retailers to list surplus products that might otherwise end up in landfills. Through a few taps on a phone, shoppers can purchase near-expiration items at a fraction of the cost. Or, likewise, nonprofits and community organizations can be matched with donations that fit their needs (Careit).

In The Packer’s feature article, Alyson Schill, Careit CEO and Co-founder, shares how the food donation and rescue app helps grocers launch or improve their food donation program, the positive impact of grocery retailers donating surplus food to their community and how Careit makes it easy for grocers to connect and donate nutritious meals to those in need. In addition, Careit’s partner Sprouts Farmers Market shares successful results from their food donation program, powered by Careit.