Too Good To Go, an app-based surplus food marketplace, has launched in Australia, starting in Melbourne, intending to help lower the country’s food waste by half by 2030.
More than 80 local businesses have joined the platform, including grocers, Abacus Bar and Kitchen, ST Ali, Undercover Roasters, and Wabi Sushi. FoodCo’s Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue will join the marketplace, with select sites rolling out across Victoria throughout September.
The marketplace connects Aussies with businesses’ surplus food for a reduced price through its free-to-use app. Users can purchase a ‘Surprise Bag’ of food from a range of bakeries, cafes, restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses.
The platform creates a win-win-win solution – for retailers generating income from inventory that would otherwise go to waste and for consumers getting quality food at a reasonable price during the cost of living crisis.
“Australia’s strong commitment to sustainability makes it the perfect match for our mission to inspire and empower everyone to fight food waste together,” said Joost Rietveld, country director of Australia.
According to the company, food waste accounts for 10 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Australia records more than 7.6 million tonnes of food waste annually, and the National Food Waste Strategy targets to reduce this by half by 2030.
“We cannot afford to waste food – it’s too valuable for society, the economy, and the planet,” said Mette Lykke, global CEO of Too Good To Go. “Reducing food waste is one of the most effective actions we can take to help tackle climate change and limit temperature rise to 2 degrees C by 2100.”
It is estimated that saving a meal from waste through the Too Good To Go marketplace is equivalent to avoiding 2.7kg of CO2e emissions, 810 litres of water use and 2.8sqm of unnecessary land use per year.
Launched in Denmark in 2016, the marketplace has more than 100 million registered users in 18 countries and has helped save over 350 million meals from going to waste.
