Want to fight food waste, save money, and support the Oxford food scene?

Too Good To Go helps individuals and businesses do just that. Its mission: to combat the shocking levels of UK food waste by rescuing surplus food one meal at a time. I’ve been testing them out and have been thrilled at scoring tasty bargains while trying to be more sustainable.  

How does it work?

Too Good To Go’s main tool is a free app targeting fresh products that go to waste. It connects food businesses with consumers to sell their surplus at a lower price and keep it out of landfill.  Every day, large chains and local indies collect up their excess food into ‘magic bags’ that are offered for sale at reduced prices through the app. Consumers purchase a bag to collect at a specified time, with the exact contents a mystery until pick-up. This ‘lucky-dip’ flexibility allows the most efficient redistribution of food at the end of service.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the app as a way to supplement my regular grocery shopping and to get treats from local venues. Each bag I’ve bought has been a good surprise. When I spent £4.00 at the Oxford Fine Food store, I got pasta, cauliflower, and fruit for my dinner, plus some sodas and baked goods. A £5 Ole & Steen bag was stuffed with a huge sourdough loaf, a lamb sandwich, and two pastries. I froze the bread and ate the rest almost immediately.

 A £6.69 Montezuma bag gave me £20.00 worth of chocolates!

The point of the app is to find a home for food near the end of its life, so I was prepared to use items quickly. I’ve cooked some things, frozen others (that delicious sourdough!), and eaten the rest immediately. I’ve also embraced the random variety of goods, knowing that I’ve chosen places where I like what they offer. And of course, you can filter the app for vegan or vegetarian choices. The key is to find the options that work for you – large chains, small cafes, or even supermarkets – and to use up the food.  

Does it make a difference?

In one word, yes.

Since its launch in 2016, the app has saved almost 50,000 magic bags from Oxford-based businesses. This is equivalent to 123,280 Kg CO2 or 24 flights around the world. They’ve engaged a wide range of users and helped businesses make savings. The retail managers I spoke with were especially pleased at the way the app had brought in new visitors who then became regular customers. The company also works hard to raise public awareness about food waste and provides lots of advice on how to avoid throwing food out. Check out their food hacks on Instagram for some handy tips.

In addition, Too Good To Go lobby for policy change and currently have an active campaign to combat confusion over date labels on food. The idea is that we can use the power of our senses rather than ‘best before’ labels to decide if something needs binning. And finally, they also have a partnership with FareShare to support the charity’s work fighting hunger and food waste.

Why all this activity?

As Ellie Wadman from Too Good To Go reminded me, the scale of the food waste problem is massive. Globally, more than a third of all food produced goes to waste. This waste accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. In the UK alone, £13 billion of food is thrown away every year, and food waste costs families about £700 a year. There’s no doubt that action is needed.

Too Good To Go’s ambitious but simple goal is to help us take small steps to reduce this enormous food waste in our everyday lives. The triple win of the app is ensuring that less food is thrown away, individuals get steep discounts, and businesses reach new customers.

Too Good To Go
toogoodtogo.co.uk/