IGA and FoodHero partner on food waste app

IGA in Québec is rolling out a food waste app that will offer customers discounts on items nearing their expiration dates, while helping its parent company meet its sustainability goals.

The FoodHero app--developed by a Montreal startup of the same name--is easy to use: Shoppers pick from daily deals on items such as meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs and prepared meals, and arrange a time to pick up their order. App users can also track how much money they're saving and what impact they're having on food reduction (calculated as CO₂ emissions and kilograms of products saved).

"Sobeys, IGA's parent company, has set a goal to reduce food waste by 50% by 2025," said Carl Pichette, vice-president of marketing for Sobeys, in a press release. "After reviewing the options available on the market, we chose FoodHero, a local start-up with a highly experienced team, to help us achieve this objective."

The app was piloted at IGA's Langelier store and is expanding to five additional stores before rolling it out across the province.

Loblaw has made similar moves, recently rolling out the Flashfood food waste-fighting app to 139 Maxi and Provigo stores in Quebec and all Real Canadian Superstore locations in Ontario.

By the end of the summer, the app will be available to customers at more than 250 stores across Western Canada, Ontario and Atlantic Canada.