FoodHero Partners with Empire Company Limited to Combat Food Waste and Enhance Customer Value

FoodHero app goes coast-to-coast with Empire’s banner stores including Sobeys, Safeway, Thrifty Foods and Foodland, expanding app footprint to more than 1,000 stores across Canada.

MONTREAL, July 16, 2024 /CNW/ – FoodHero, the Montreal-based app dedicated to combating food waste, today announced an expansion of its strategic partnership with Empire Company Limited, significantly expanding FoodHero’s reach to new regions, including Ontario, Atlantic Canada and Western Canada. This collaboration marks an important milestone in FoodHero’s mission to reduce food waste while offering Canadians coast-to-coast access to value-priced groceries.

Through this national expansion, Canadians will gain access to deep discounts on surplus food at over 500 participating stores across Ontario, Atlantic Canada and Western Canada. The user-friendly FoodHero app connects consumers to local participating stores offering 50% discounts in English Canada and up to 60% in Quebec on select items. Since its launch in Quebec in 2019, the app has seen substantial growth, with over one million downloads and 100,000 active customers shopping at approximately 500 participating retailers in Quebec.

“Cost of living alongside the escalating issue of food waste are top of mind for Canadians,” says Jonathan Defoy, CEO, FoodHero. “FoodHero connects customers with local grocery stores offering significant markdowns on products to prevent them from ending up in landfills. Our partnership with Empire Company Limited allows us to further our mission of combating food waste while offering Canadians enhanced value on their groceries.”

Items available on the FoodHero app range from bakery, meat and prepared food to dry goods. With a consistent selection of items, customers can easily select from the available products and schedule a pickup time. The app also tracks the weight of products saved from landfills and estimates the associated reduction in CO₂ emissions.

“As a company committed to sustainability, we’re excited to be partnering with FoodHero, a Canadian success story fighting against food waste. This partnership supports our commitment to reducing food waste, ensuring more food reaches family tables instead of landfills,” says Kristi Lalach, SVP Legal and Sustainability, Empire Company Limited.

Starting from July 2, FoodHero began rolling out to participating Sobeys stores in Ontario. The rollout has continued with Sobeys and Foodland in Atlantic Canada from July 8, and Sobeys, Safeway, IGA West and Thrifty Foods in Western Canada from July 15. This phased expansion has ensured a smooth integration of FoodHero into these new markets, providing Canadians with easy access to value-priced food items. It adds to FoodHero’s already extensive network of stores across Quebec and New Brunswick that include IGA, Rachelle-Béry, Marché Tradition and Metro.

FoodHero is available on the Apple App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android. For more information, visit www.foodhero.com.

ABOUT FOODHERO

FoodHero is an innovative app launched in 2019 that connects merchants and consumers to sell surplus food that’s perfectly fresh and would otherwise end up in a landfill. FoodHero’s solution combats food waste while offering discounts of up to 60% on a wide range of foods to consumers.

ABOUT EMPIRE

Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire’s key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., and related real estate. With approximately $30.7 billion in annualized sales and $16.8 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 128,000 people.

SOURCE FoodHero