Lowes Foods Pilots Flashfood Surplus Discounts at Five Columbia Stores

Lowes Foods has launched a Flashfood pilot at five stores in the Columbia, South Carolina, market, selling surplus meat, produce, dairy and baked goods at discounts of up to 60 percent off retail price. Customers browse and pay in the Flashfood app, then collect their orders at the store's customer service area, which Lowes Foods calls the Front Porch.

The pilot covers items that are in surplus or approaching their best-by date. For retailers, the model converts product that would otherwise shrink into revenue; for shoppers, it cuts the cost of fresh staples.

"We're honored to partner with Flashfood to provide another way for our guests to get fresh products and save money, while creating less waste. This pilot program is a win-win-win for shoppers in the Columbia area," said Tim Lowe, president of Lowes Foods. "The Flashfood program will help support Lowes Foods' longstanding commitment to the communities we serve."

Lowe said Lowes Foods may extend the program to additional markets in coming months if the Columbia pilot proves successful.

The five pilot stores are:

• Forest Acres at 4711 Forest Drive
• Sandhill Village at 120 Forum Drive
• Lexington at 5222 Sunset Blvd.
• Lexington at 2440 Augusta Highway
• Red Bank at 5436 Platt Springs Road

What does Flashfood bring to the table?

Flashfood shoppers have saved more than $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," Schenck said.

The company cited a 2025 shopper survey in which 70 percent of Flashfood users reported a healthier diet since adopting the app and 65 percent reported eating more fruits and vegetables.

The B Corp-certified marketplace has rerouted more than 140 million pounds of food from landfills while saving shoppers more than $355 million across more than 2,300 partner stores in North America. Those figures give Lowes Foods a measurable waste-reduction track record to benchmark against once the Columbia pilot produces results.

Founded in 1954, Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Lowes Foods operates more than 80 full-service supermarkets in the Carolinas plus one in Georgia, with nearly 9,000 employees and services including Lowes Foods-To-Go personal shopping. The chain is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hickory, North Carolina-based Alex Lee Inc.

The Columbia pilot gives Lowes Foods a low-risk test of app-driven surplus pricing before any wider rollout, and a decision on expansion could follow within months.