Americans are adding surplus food shopping to their list of money-saving grocery tricks

Americans will spend Thanksgiving Day around tables laden with food. But even while they’re full, many are looking to cut back on spending. One tactic they try? Salable food is shredded before it heads to the waste pile.

American consumers, according to a recent reading, are feeling less optimistic about the economy and their finances, in part because of the rising cost of necessities. Although spending hasn’t stopped, experts say price-conscious shoppers are focusing on hunting for deals, clipping coupons, trading up on brands and buying less of everything, including food and drinks.

Some shoppers are increasingly checking out heavily discounted surplus or soon-to-be-discarded vegetables, fruits, meats, frozen and refrigerated foods, which are considered safe for consumption but are viewed as less suitable for store shelves due to defects or looming expiration dates.

“It’s not that the food itself is much more expensive,” said Kimberly Palmer, a personal finance expert at NerdWallet. “The problem is that everything else – housing, utilities and consumer goods across the board – is putting pressure on their budgets. This means that spending on food, a huge and variable part of most families’ budgets, will be reduced, especially for low-income families.”

In July, Kroger (KR) partnered with FlashFood, an app-based service provider that works with grocery stores to connect consumers with discounted groceries at up to 50% off store prices that would otherwise be taken away.

Amazon (AMZN)-owned Whole Foods Market is working with Too Good to Go to sell “surprise bags.” Or pre-filled packages of ready-to-eat food items for about a third of the retail price in its stores nationwide. This month, the retailer added seven new categories to the offer.

These efforts help reduce food waste and help consumers stretch their dollars, said Beth Johnson, grocery industry expert and director of vertical marketing at RRD, which provides printing, packaging, supply chain and other services.

“Shoppers have been dealing with ongoing financial stress for five years,” she said. “We’ve been through a pandemic, inflation, job insecurity, and now tariffs. We’ve become accustomed to changing our shopping behavior by buying differently or doing without.”

Misfits Market, an online grocery store that sells “rescue” foods at discounted prices alongside pantry staples such as snacks, eggs and dairy products, said its customer growth has accelerated over the past year.

“Customers are more vocal than ever that grocery affordability impacts their choices,” said Holly Eagleson, spokeswoman for Misfits Market. Investopedia. “People want better food, but they need a better way to distribute their grocery budget.”

Consumers are “very value-conscious,” said Zach Stapor, a senior retail and e-commerce analyst at market research firm eMarketer. “This dynamic puts great pressure on grocery stores to prove to shoppers that they offer great value for money.”