This Meal Kit Will Help You Fight Food Waste

This meal kit service sends you ingredients that are almost expired, or too ugly to be sold in stores, to cut back on food waste and teach people how to prepare cheap, healthy meals.

A Flashfoodbox has 15 pounds of food and costs $45 each — so it provides 14 meals at about $4 a serving. It’s a mix of fruits, vegetables, and protein like potatoes, carrots, beets, chicken burgers, and smoked chicken sausage. The food is in surplus, which is when retailers won’t accept food, because it’s 30-45 days from its best before date. Some of the produce also can’t be sold, because it looks funny — although it’s still completely safe to eat.

You can place your order online and it will be delivered to your door. There are also recipes available in each box. Flashfoodbox has partnered with Tyson to deliver boxes in Detroit. The company also delivers to London, Ontario and Toronto. It’s looking to expand to other cities in the future.

Flashfood also created an app that lets people buy and pick up a store’s surplus food at a discounted price. It’s been partnering with grocers since 2016. To date, it has diverted over 15,000 meals from landfills.