Doug Rauch, the former president of Trader Joe's, is looking to bring more nutritious foods to low-income consumers in Boston, but there's one catch. Mr. Rauch plans to sell foods that have passed their sell-by dates.
Mr. Rauch's non-profit Urban Food Initiative is looking to take recently expired foods and turn them into packaged meals that are priced on par with unhealthier alternatives found in fast food restaurants.
"The No. 1 leading problem is affordable nutrition," Mr. Rauch told The Boston Globe. "For the 50 million Americans who are food insecure, their solution is not a full stomach. It's a healthy meal."
Mr. Rauch, who is looking to open a small store in Dorchester, MA, is financing the project with his own money while looking for grants from other organizations. He told the Globe that he expects the store to eventually provide jobs for 75 to 100 people.
Jose Alvarez, former president of Stop & Shop and an Urban Food Initiative board member, told The Associated Press that the group will need to overcome any perception that the food has gone bad.
"You could have bought this yesterday at Whole Foods or Stop & Shop for $2 and today you can get it at Doug's store for a $1 or 50 cents and it's perfectly fine," he said.