A new app aimed at cutting down on food waste while also helping users save money on groceries has officially launched in London, Ont.
As of Tuesday, Forest City residents now have access to over 50 businesses now on the Too Good To Go App, which first became available in Canada in the summer of 2021.
Sam Kashani, country director for Too Good To Go, said that globally, the app has been around for over six years.
“It started over in Europe with our founders when they saw the amount of food that was being thrown out at the end of the day,” he said. “We really just wanted to create a very simple solution where businesses can naturally drive traffic to their stores and get that food into consumers hands and ultimately generate a bit of extra revenue as well.”
According to Kashani, consumers make their purchases through the app which connects them with participating stores that have a surplus of food, making it available for pickup before they close.
He said that while consumers are getting their groceries at one-third the regular retail price, they don’t however know what they’re getting beforehand.
“You reserve what we call a surprise bag which is really a collection of food that we have categorized for our users that consumers can go pick up at a fraction of the price,” Kashani said. “It’s an incredible value that they get especially based on the pinch we’re all facing on our wallets, and then businesses end up generating incremental revenue on foods that they otherwise would have thrown out.”
He says the app has helped Canadians across 25 cities save roughly $21.8 million on their food bills and has saved more than 1.6 million meals from going to landfills. Additionally, Too Good To Go has helped generate over $7.5 million for businesses, according to Kashani.
“It’s a win-win-win situation,” he said. “The consumers win because they get one-third of the price, and the businesses win because they generate rising revenue and traffic to their stores. But the third one is really the environment.
“We know food waste is such a major issue,” he continued. “10 per cent of the greenhouse gases emitted into the environment today are a direct result of food waste. So, this app essentially helps give the tools to Canadians that can make a small difference in their communities and help reduce food waste as well.”
Kashani added that whenever Too Good To Go launches in a new city, including London, the response has always been positive.
“We’re very humbled in any city we’ve engaged with, and partners and users have welcomed it with open arms,” he said. “Our vision, and my personal vision, is really around democratizing the fight against food waste, and to do that we need to show up everywhere.
“I think this is quite an intuitive solution to a big problem.”
More information about Too Good To Go can be found on the toogoodtogo.com website.
– with files from Global News’ Devon Peacock.
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