Lowes Foods Introduces a Pilot with Flashfood in Select Stores in Columbia to Expand Affordable Grocery Access and Reduce Waste
Flashfood offers shoppers significant discounts on fresh, nutritious food, keeping high-value food out of the landfill
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (OCT. 29, 2026) - Lowes Foods, a Carolinas-based grocer headquartered in Winston-Salem, has partnered with Flashfood to launch a pilot program at five stores in the Columbia, SC, market. Through the Flashfood app, guests can purchase surplus meat, produce and other fresh foods at discounted prices, helping them stretch their grocery budgets while Lowes Foods reduces food waste.
Five Lowes Foods stores will be part of the program:
- Forest Acres at 4711 Forest Drive
- Sandhill Village at 120 Forum Drive
- Lexington at 5222 Sunset Boulevard
- Lexington at 2440 Augusta Highway
- Red Bank at 5436 Platt Springs Road
Through the Lowes Foods partnership with Flashfood, Columbia-area customers will be able to purchase fresh groceries that are in surplus or nearing their best-by date, including meat, dairy, produce and baked goods, and receive discounts of up to 60% off the retail price. Shoppers can browse available items, purchase directly from the app and collect their orders at the store’s customer service area, known as the Front Porch.
“We’re honored to partner with Flashfood to provide another way for our guests to get fresh products, save money and create less landfill waste. This program is a win-win-win for shoppers in the Columbia area,” Lowes Foods President Tim Lowe said. “The Flashfood program will help support Lowes Foods’ longstanding commitment to sustainability, affordability and healthy food access across the Carolinas.
“The app is easy to download and use, and I urge shoppers to give it a try,” Lowe added. “I think they will immediately see the benefits for their wallets and the environment.”
Lowe said that if the Flashfood pilot proves successful in the Columbia region, Lowes Foods may introduce it to additional markets in coming months.
“Flashfood shoppers have saved over $55 million in 2026 alone,” said Jordan Schenck, CEO of Flashfood. “We want shoppers to be able to put fresh meat and produce on the table without stretching their grocery budget, and working with Lowes Foods gives their guests another way to save on those staples, while helping their stores sell quality food that might otherwise go to waste.”
In its recently published 2024 Impact Report, Flashfood demonstrates the role food waste plays in today’s affordability, health and nutrition crisis. In a 2025 shopper survey, 70% of Flashfood shoppers reported a healthier diet since using Flashfood, and 65% report eating more fruits and vegetables. This is a powerful health outcome, and the partnership with Lowes Foods is an important step to achieving the availability required. It’s a tech-driven, scalable solution that drives value on both sides of the marketplace.
About Flashfood
Flashfood is on a mission to feed families, not landfills. The app marketplace connects shoppers with fresh produce, meat and other groceries at up to 50% off. By partnering with retailers across North America, Flashfood offers shoppers nutritious staples at affordable prices and reduces the amount of food going to landfills. To date, Flashfood has rerouted more than 140 million pounds of food from landfills while saving its shoppers more than $355 million on their groceries. Flashfood is a B-Corp certified company currently partnered with more than 2,300 stores across North America. For more information, please visit flashfood.com.
About Lowes Foods, LLC
Founded in 1954, Lowes Foods employs nearly 9,000 people and operates more than 80 full-service supermarkets in the Carolinas plus one in Georgia. Locally owned and operated, Lowes Foods is truly a homegrown company committed to bringing the community back to the table, by providing customers with the freshest and most innovative local products from local suppliers. The company maintains a strong focus on exceptional attention to our guests, with services like Lowes Foods-To-Go personal shopping. To learn more, visit lowesfoods.com or follow Lowes Foods on Facebook, Instagram, or Tik Tok. Lowes Foods, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alex Lee, Inc.
About Alex Lee, Inc.
Founded in 1931, Alex Lee is a family-owned and operated company that employs approximately 15,000 people. It serves as the parent company of Merchants Distributors, LLC, which provides full-service, wholesale distribution to supermarkets, Souto Foods, a distributor of authentic Hispanic foods, and Import Mex, a distributor of Mexican and Central American products. Alex Lee is also the parent company of Lowes Foods, which includes nearly 85 full-service grocery stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. In addition, Alex Lee, Inc. is the parent company of W. Lee Flowers & Company, which operates approximately 60 IGA and KJ’s Market grocery stores and provides wholesale distribution to supermarkets. Alex Lee, Inc. is based in Hickory, NC. For more information, please visit alexlee.com.
