As food prices soar, is Too Good To Go a workable alternative for buying discounted groceries?
According to official reports, Britain is seeing more spending on household services like electricity, gas and other fuels. Necessities like food and drink prices have also been at their highest since 1977, with a consumer price index (CPI) of 19.1% in March 2023.
This has disproportionately affected people with lower incomes, as a bigger chunk of their spending also went to rent and mortgages. Recently, the Bank of England has raised the interest rate to 4.5% in an attempt to control rapid inflation. Instead, it is adding weight to household spending on necessities like food.
One option to find affordable food is the app Too Good To Go. Founded in 2013 in Norway, the app provides its services throughout Europe, and recently in North America. Too Good to Go wants to combat food waste: “[rescuing] unsold food from an untimely fate” according to the website.
The app includes a catalogue of grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, pubs and more. Each retailer sells surprise bags on the app, and depending on the shop its prices vary from £10 and under. They are usually reserved by users to be picked up in the evening before closing time, when they receive a surprise bag of unsold food for that day.
According to their 2021 impact report, Too Good To Go has saved over 52 million meals worth of food. The app was ranked number 10 in the most downloaded app worldwide, with around 52 million total users.
Marta, 24, a recent Masters graduate who studied public policy at LSE, recounted her experience with the app. As a former student, Marta thought the app’s concept of saving food on a budget was great, “especially in a fairly expensive city like London.” she said.
“I think it’s a good way to reduce food waste while still helping students who have less money to live more affordably in the city.”
However, she said it was a hit-or-miss when it came to buying groceries on the app. “I would get a lot of produce, like vegetables. They usually look beaten-up but I don’t mind.” Marta told me. Despite the endless choices of where to reserve a bag from, they don’t give the user any autonomy on what to include in their bags.
“I try not to risk [buying groceries] because I can’t choose what I get.” Marta explained. On the occasion that she does shop for groceries on the app, Marta would reserve bags from organic food shops that were usually out of her budget, as they were a higher quality for a cheaper price in the app.
In their 2021 impact report, Too Good To Go encourages people to overlook the expiration dates of store-bought food. They have launched a project titled “Look, Smell, Taste – Don’t Waste”, to debunk food labels, where 4,209 product ranges have been given an additional label to reduce waste. In a study conducted in Denmark, 43% of users who have seen the label are more inspired to throw less food away at home.
But according to reviews from users, complaints came from a number of surprise bags containing already spoiled food or cancelled bag orders. Overall, grocery shopping on Too Good To Go is unpredictable and could potentially be a risk to your health.
On the other hand, Marta has received better bags from bakeries or restaurants, who served ready-made food. “I used [Too Good To Go] for Lola’s Cupcakes.” she said. The North London bakery offered a box of four big cupcakes and eight small ones for under £10 on the app, she explained. Compared to the price from the app, the bakery’s website is selling identical cupcake boxes with smaller quantities that range from £20-25.
With the additional lack of choice for a surprise bag, Too Good to Go harbours the risk of cooking with spoiled items and it may not be the best alternative for discounted groceries. There are other ways to save on food, such as shopping at local markets or even food banks and charities.
Feature image by Pexels via Pixabay.