Spike in food waste app downloads as cost-of-living crisis bites

The app aims to reduce wastage from the retail sector by advertising the availability of reduced-price food items in local stores.

Stacey Williams, head of customer engagement and business development at Gander, said: “Last year, we saw an increase in Gander users as food prices soared.

“Our service allows customers to purchase reduced food locally and save an average of 56% on their weekly food bill.

“Gander has proven incredibly effective and our roll-out across the UK and Ireland has benefited consumers and retailers alike, helping to mitigate the negative impact of the food chain on the environment.”

In December 2022, fresh food prices at British supermarkets were 15% higher than the previous year, according to the The British Retail Consortium.

Gander says its app has the potential to support struggling families to maximise their shopping budget as the cost-of-living crisis deepens and disposable incomes decrease.

The app’s live feed shows thousands of marked-down products that can be filtered by dietary requirements and preferences.

Participating retailers, including Spar, Morrisons and independent stores, can track the life of a markdown from beginning to end, while receiving analytics on specific products and categories in the app’s platform, Ganderlytics.

Williams added: “Value own-brand ranges are in high demand and the technology is there for all retailers to offer their markdowns to a much wider audience.”