It’s been a busy few days for the team at Flashfood, an affordable grocery app available on iOS and Android.
Blame the ongoing government shutdown. Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced online in late October that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would run out on Saturday, Nov. 1, Flashfood has been seeing “unprecedented demand” for its money-saving services, according to Esther Cohn, its vice president of communications.
“As soon as the announcement was made over the weekend, Flashfood downloads started rising as people started seeking out solutions, and activists on social media started posting tips and resources for folks across the country,” she said. “People are looking for affordable, nutritious food to feed their families.”
Flashfood, founded in 2016 by Canadian entrepreneur Josh Domingues, currently has more than 1.5 million users. Once someone downloads the app and creates an account, they can peruse daily deals on produce, meat, eggs, bakery items and more from nearby grocery stores. After paying in the app, you simply pick up your order at a designated location from said market.
Because many items are nearing their sell-by dates or are slightly damaged, prices are up to 50% off, saving consumers money while also preventing perfectly good food from rotting in the landfill. An example: a grocery store in Council Bluffs, Iowa, near Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, was offering gluten-free pancake mix and organic oatmeal, cereal and granola for half off on November 1.
Flashfood boasts more than 2,000 partner stores across the country, including major names like Kroger, Meijer and Piggly Wiggly. Currently, the most popular item is the Flashfood Produce Box with mixed fruits and vegetables. More than 1.3 million of these (usually) $5 boxes have flown off the shelves in 2025 alone.
“Our goal is to be available everywhere food is sold today,” Cohn said, explaining that her team’s “top priority” is expanding the app’s availability. “No food should go to waste while people are going hungry.”
It seems to be working. Flashfood’s method saved 32,154,406 pounds of food in 2024, while also saving shoppers $80,031,034. Many of those shoppers are military-connected, and with good reason — data shows that of the nearly 42 million Americans who use SNAP benefits, around 1.2 million are veterans, while 22,000 active duty military families also rely on the federal food aid. Even amidst normal government operations, around one in four military households struggles with food insecurity.
“We are a mission-based organization, and everyone at Flashfood believes in the mission and knows that families across the country are counting on Flashfood to be successful and continue to expand,” Cohn said. “We feel incredibly proud of the accomplishments our company has had so far but [also] a deep sense of urgency to continue to build our impact.”
“No family should have to worry about putting food on the table. We shouldn’t live in a world where people are going hungry while good food is going to waste.”
