Food redistribution app Too Good To Go has reported an uptick in people using its service to access retailers’ surplus food amid the cost of living crisis.
Since January, the anti-waste app has seen more than 100% growth each month in demand for bags of surplus food bought from its convenience store and supermarket partners, which include Morrisons, Co-op and Spar. The so-called ‘magic bags’ consist of surplus stock at risk of going to waste, and cost a third of the original retail price.
Too Good To Go told The Grocer its biggest peak was in February, when it saw 119% month-on-month growth.
“Our magic bags generally contain a variety of food, from on-the-go treats to takeaway meals, and so it is significant to see a continuous rise in people using our app for everyday kitchen essentials, such as groceries and bread,” said Too Good To Go UK&I MD Sophie Trueman.
Too Good To Go also said new users were on average more interested in purchasing the magic bags than any other food available via the app, such as surplus from cafés and restaurants.
“This change in user behaviour suggests a change in motivation for our users, driven by the need to make home budgets stretch further and cope with rising grocery food costs through finding alternative ways of purchasing their food essentials,” said Trueman.
Trueman added: “We’re proud that our model can help support people to get delicious food for great value, in a way that does right by our planet too.”
The Too Good To Go app works by allowing users to search for stores taking part in the scheme that have unsold produce. They then purchase a ‘magic bag’ of food at risk of going to waste and collect it at an allotted time.
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