FreshDirect, Foodily Launch Popcart

Online grocer FreshDirect and Foodily, billed as the world's largest social recipe network, have introduced Popcart, which companies say is the first web technology in the United States that instantly turns any online recipe into deliverable groceries. New York-based FreshDirect is the first food business to launch the technology.

Developed and powered by Foodily, Popcart lets users browse any recipe on more than 150 million food websites and blogs, and seamlessly integrates the ingredients into a shopping cart. To use the technology, shoppers download the Popcart bookmarklet, highlight ingredients from any online recipe and "Popcart" it, customize the order according to their dietary needs and preferences, and check out, whereupon FreshDirect will deliver the order as soon as the next day.

"The web is the No. 1 resource for home cooks, but when you go from online to browsing to in-store shopping, buying the ingredients can take hours and be a deterrent to getting dinner on the table," noted Andrea Cutright, CEO of San Francisco-based Foodily. "Popcart removes the friction from shopping for recipes, making meal planning more efficient than ever before."

"FreshDirect is always looking to innovate and make shopping for food easier," said Jodi Kahn, the company's chief consumer officer. "Popcart for FreshDirect enables customers to have a new way to shop the recipes they love and cook with the freshest ingredients from FreshDirect. … This technology takes consumers from inspiration to preparation."

Popcart for FreshDirect is now available in the online grocer's service areas of metro New York, New Jersey, Connecticut metro areas and the greater Philadelphia, Penn., area, including Delaware.