Wanna save $600 on your family's grocery bill? A Calgary mom says it's totally doable

Kasper Boss-Moodie says he knows the price of food.

"I grew up in a welfare home, so food security, I didn't really have that growing up. We were a food bank family," the Calgary resident told CBC News in an interview.

"This idea of wasting food has followed me, and that's a key part of how I consume food. I really don't like to waste anything. I am cautious of how much food I am bringing into the house, making sure it's being used."

So a few months ago, when he learned of an app that aims to reduce food waste and save a few bucks in the process, it really whet his appetite.

"It is a really accessible way to find discount food. It prevents food ending up as waste, which is a big part of food security," he said.

"It's also a way to plan some of our meals throughout the week."

The app is called Flashfood and it takes a grocery retailer's soon-to-expire rack and puts it in the hands of strategic shoppers who are looking to cash in. Users say it has saved them hundreds of dollars a month.

"We took the discount food rack, made it look sexy, and put it on your cellphone," said CEO Josh Domingues.

Flashfood started a couple of years ago around the time COVID began to grab headlines.

"It was horrifying at the beginning — for everybody," Domingues said.

"At the beginning, when we didn't know how fast the disease, the virus, was spreading, we were put on pause in a lot of our stores. Our sales dropped something like 80 per cent in a matter of a few days, but we were able to push through that period with our partners."

Fast forward to 2021. The app is now in every province and working its way south of the border.

"It's north of 25 million pounds of food that has been diverted from landfills, which is the equivalent, in greenhouse gas emission production, of driving 25 million kilometres. So environmentally, it's incredibly humbling," the Toronto-based CEO said.

"Some of our shoppers have saved tens of thousands of dollars. For our top shoppers, I think it's around $25,000 they have saved. The average discount on Flashfood is 50 per cent off, so the savings are incredibly impactful for families."