Cork woman: Here’s how I rescued good food from the bin of a supermarket, cafe and restaurant

IMAGINE scraping a quarter of the food off your plate and into the bin at the start of every meal. That image represents what we do on a global scale in terms of food waste. But what about closer to home?

According to the latest EPA estimates, Ireland generated 753,000 tonnes of food waste in 2021, with restaurants and food services generating approximately 25% of this heavy weight total. It makes for hard reading, to know that that over 66% of waste from the food services sector is avoidable (i.e., edible food), a finding revealed in the The Reducing Commercial Food Waste in Ireland report published in 2019.

The annual cost of food waste to this sector is estimated to be in excess of €300 million, meaning that there is not only an environmental but also a considerable economic incentive to tackle this waste issue.

Now, more than ever, the food service industry is feeling the pinch created by the perfect storm of VAT increases, spiralling energy costs and an increase in the minimum wage. We need a diverse and comprehensive response that makes use of innovation, including digital connectivity, and one app that is growing in popularity in Ireland and beyond is answering this call.

Enter ‘Too Good To Go’, a business on a mission since 2016 to tackle food waste through its convenient app, which links food service providers to customers, who enjoy reduced prices and end-of-day offerings that are otherwise destined to become waste.

Their latest report for 2022 reveals how far they have come, sharing how they saved almost 79 million meals from becoming waste across Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

But what’s in it for the food businesses who sign up? Too Good To Go shares that their surplus food can become an extra income with minimal effort. It increases visibility, attracts new customers both on and off the app, reduces waste, and helps the environment.

A recent Deloitte survey revealed sustainable behaviours continue to be a priority for Irish consumers, with nearly half (49%) reporting changing their personal behaviour to take positive action for the climate.

One of the barriers that emerged from this analysis was cost, making Too Good To Go an attractive option for those who wish to take action without breaking the bank.

As for the customers, there is the feelgood factor of rescuing good food destined for the bin from local food service businesses, getting to enjoy a decent discount of a third of the original price, and it helps the planet by preventing waste.

How does it work for the consumer?

You sign up to the Too Good To Go app, which is updated daily with food offerings in your local area. You can stipulate in your settings how far you are willing to travel.

The app lists the different surprise bags, offered by various venues, from cafés, to restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and butchers. The bags are priced from €3.99 to around €9.99. You can reserve and pay for your bag and arrange to collect it at a time as selected by the business.

How I got on...

As a relative novice, I quickly realised that the popular deals on the Too Good To Go app sell out almost as soon as they reach the platform, so vigilance is essential if you have a specific vendor you wish to buy from.

From the big brand Starbucks to independent cafés, supermarkets, petrol stations, and hotels, there is a wealth of choices and diverse offerings on this platform, from leftover breakfasts to donuts to used coffee grounds that can be used in the garden or for body scrubs; the wheels of the circular economy are in motion with the help of this app.

Too Good To Go is not exactly a unique offering in supermarkets, where discounts off expiring food have been a norm for a long time, but this app helps amplify the importance of and benefits of reducing food waste and create a new market that gets heaps of positive reinforcement through the app’s metrics.

The only area the offering may be lacking is in catering to specific dietary requirements such as vegan or coeliac, etc, and these consumers will need to check in advance to see if any of the offers meet their needs.

I also had a surprise bag cancelled on me about an hour before collection, which was inconvenient as I had planned my grocery trip around the same trip to that store.

One of the barriers to using this experience was the collection time for goods. Some providers have later closing times and, as a consequence, collection times from 8.30-9.45 pm, which, as a parent, is a deterrent.

For those who are not tech-savvy, it would be beneficial if there was an alternative way for people to engage with this service to ensure it is as inclusive as possible.

I bought three...

Determined and delighted to see what was on offer, I made my way to explore three unique options on Too Good To Go, to find out if it was the good value it claimed to be, whether the food was really still ‘good to go’ or on its last legs, and whether I’d recommend it to a friend (the ultimate litmus test).

The map on the app revealed that the options on my doorstep, Kinsale options, were a little limited, so I extended my search and ensured a visit to the food vendor coincided with a necessary journey.

My first choice was a collection from Bean and Berry café, a minute’s drive from Garrettstown Beach, with a view that makes every visit beautiful, rain or shine. You reserve and pay for the offering on the app and are given a time for collection.

A quick swipe of my app informs the vendor I have arrived and am ready to collect, and their helpful manager gathered what was left on the counter, a chicken wrap and slice of berry crumble, all for the heavily discounted prepaid price of €3.99. He shared how they are delighted to be reducing waste through this initiative. Needless to say, it was a great and really tasty start-off experience, and one I looked forward to repeating with other vendors.

The supermarket offering reminded me of an episode of Ready Steady Cook, whereby the contents had a random selection of ingredients to transform into a meal within the time frame of the show. Once you have a few basic recipes in your repertoire, such as soup, stew, smoothies, and crumbles, all fruit and vegetables can find a quick and easy home, and of course, for some items, the freezer is an option either directly or after preparing and cooking.

It is important to use these soon after purchasing, as the items will be close to or at their best before dates.

SuperValu has conveniently categorised surprise bags into categories-from Surf and Turf to Mixed Grocery Surprise Box; it helps to have a distinction between food categories. My jam-packed box, all for €4.99, included carrot batons, organic cherry tomatoes, soup mix, stuffed red peppers, mixed salad, and four large petits filous.

Finally, I secured a surprise bag from the Gourmet Grocer in Riverstick, a business that has earned a solid reputation for its premium quality offering, which certainly delivered! My surprise bag included a large box of mixed salad options, including couscous and pasta salad, a loaf of fresh white bread, and two roulade slices. For a mere €4.99, it was another superb offering.

As a user of this service, what I like most is the element of surprise that comes with it. An overlooked benefit of Too Good To Go is that it adds an unexpected spring to your step as you see what fate awaits your palate upon ordering. It’s like a lucky bag but a gourmet grown-up edition.

Overall, I highly recommend the Too Good To Go app. You never know what’s too good to go near you!