Leading affordable grocery app Flashfood has officially launched in Los Angeles, teaming up with Gelson’s Markets to introduce its widely popular Produce Box to Southern California shoppers. This marks Flashfood’s long-awaited debut in the region, offering Angelenos a new way to enjoy fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the price—while also helping reduce food waste.
Expanding Access to Fresh Produce
Residents of West Hollywood, Silver Lake, and nearby neighborhoods can now use the Flashfood app to reserve a $9 box filled with a seasonal assortment of fruits and vegetables nearing peak freshness. Each box typically contains around 10 pounds of produce, making it an exceptional value for families, students, and anyone looking to save on grocery costs. After ordering through the app, shoppers can conveniently pick up their boxes at participating Gelson’s Markets locations.
This partnership aims to make healthy eating more affordable and accessible for Los Angeles residents, while simultaneously addressing one of the most pressing issues in the modern food system—food waste. Each box sold represents produce that might otherwise have gone unsold and ultimately discarded, despite being perfectly edible and fresh.
“Los Angeles leads the country in celebrating what’s new and innovative in food, health, culture, and community,” said Jordan Schenck, CEO of Flashfood. “It’s the perfect audience for our mission, and Gelson’s is the perfect partner to help us bring it to life. We want to showcase the power of our platform in its purest form—affordable, delicious produce that promotes wellness, affordability, and sustainability.”
A Perfect Match for Southern California
For Flashfood, launching in Los Angeles is both a strategic and symbolic milestone. Southern California is known for its abundant, seasonal produce and its commitment to sustainability—but it’s also one of the most expensive regions in the United States when it comes to grocery shopping. The partnership with Gelson’s allows Flashfood to address both realities at once: transforming surplus produce into an opportunity for shoppers to save money and support a greener planet.
“Gelson’s is synonymous with high-quality, fresh produce, and our partnership with Flashfood offers an easy and affordable way for our shoppers to enjoy it while helping to reduce food waste,” said Rick Williams, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Gelson’s Markets. “This collaboration is another important step in our ongoing efforts to support a more sustainable food system in Southern California.”
The Flashfood Model: Affordable Food, Reduced Waste
The Produce Box program is a cornerstone of Flashfood’s mission and its most successful product to date. The boxes contain a mix of fruits and vegetables that might not meet retail display standards due to size, shape, or overstock, but are still fresh, flavorful, and perfectly safe to eat.
Since its inception, Flashfood has sold more than 1.2 million Produce Boxes in 2025 alone, underscoring its popularity among shoppers who want to save money without compromising on quality. Each box sold contributes to both household savings and environmental sustainability, reducing the volume of edible food sent to landfills.
The environmental and social impact of this initiative is substantial. According to ReFED (2023), fruits and vegetables make up approximately 43% of all surplus food in the United States—amounting to more than 30 million tons each year. At the same time, data from the Partnership for a Healthier America shows that fewer than one in ten Americans eat the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
A key reason for this nutrition gap is cost. Over the past four decades, the price of fresh produce has increased significantly faster than the cost of other foods, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As a result, nutritious eating has become financially out of reach for many households. Flashfood’s model directly addresses this by connecting consumers to quality produce at significantly reduced prices.
Measurable Impact
To date, Flashfood has diverted more than 145 million pounds of food from landfills and helped shoppers save over $370 million on groceries across North America. The company’s platform provides a simple, scalable solution to one of the food industry’s most urgent challenges—balancing sustainability, affordability, and accessibility.
By collaborating with major retailers like Gelson’s, Flashfood creates a win-win solution for both consumers and grocers. Shoppers gain access to affordable, healthy foods, while retailers reduce waste, improve sustainability metrics, and strengthen their community relationships.
A Shared Vision for Sustainability
Gelson’s, a long-time leader in the Southern California grocery market, has built its reputation on offering premium products and exceptional service. But beyond that, the company has also been recognized for its efforts in sustainability—ranging from energy-efficient operations to waste reduction initiatives. Partnering with Flashfood allows Gelson’s to extend its sustainability mission directly to its customers, giving them a practical way to participate in reducing food waste.
“Every piece of food that doesn’t end up in a landfill represents progress,” added Williams. “We’re proud to offer our shoppers a tangible way to make a difference in our community.”
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