By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
The biggest food problem for Aussies this Summer is not an Uber Eats order that doesn’t arrive looking quite as fresh as its pic - nor a battle with vengeful seagulls for your last chip.
It’s food waste. In fact, the average Aussie household tosses out about $1000 worth of food each year. That can mean stale bread, wilted lettuce, or perfectly good spotty bananas that never get made into bread, going straight into the bin.
Enter the Too Good To Go app - like Amazon, but for food waste, the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food is changing the way Australians think about leftovers.
Too Good To Go shows just how serious Aussies are about saving Mother Nature and their hard-earned money, as well as some staggering stats. In just over a year, 1.2 million Australians - roughly 1 in 22 - have joined the movement. Collectively, users have saved more than a million meals that would have ended up in landfill.
Here’s how Too Good to Go works: bakeries, cafes, restaurants and more create ‘Surprise Bags’ of surplus food. You reserve and pay for them in the app, then pick them up during the store’s set window. The catch is that you don’t know exactly what’s inside. Personally, we think that’s part of the fun.
Too Good To Go has partnered with more than 2500 Aussie businesses, including Baker’s Delight, Harris Farms, La Vie & Belle, Ton Ton Bakery, Dawn Baked Goods, QE Foods and Sushi Sushi. Whether you’re craving fresh bread, pastries, sushi, or snacks, there’s something for everyone.
Besides the thrill of the surprise, the savings are real. With grocery prices on the rise, being able to snag a meal at a fraction of the cost feels like a small win every day. The environmental impact is huge - every bag purchased means less food in landfill producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
The app also makes trying new foods easy. You might discover your new favourite bakery treat or a hidden hankering for katsu pork rolls that you never knew existed!
Too Good To Go proves that reducing food waste doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s simple, rewarding and genuinely helps both your budget and the planet. With more than a million meals saved in less than a year, Australians are proving that small changes can have a big impact.
So, next time you see leftover food at a local bakery or cafe, don’t scroll past. Open the app, grab a Surprise Bag and join the movement. Your taste buds, your wallet and the planet will thank you.
