Midcounties Co-op saves 20,000 meals with Too Good To Go in five months

Midcounties Co-op has prevented 20,000 bags of surplus stock from going to waste thanks to its partnership with Too Good To Go.

It initially kicked off a trial with the anti-waste app in the summer with 12 stores, and has since rolled it out to its entire 227-strong food store estate.

The waste saved equates to the same CO2 emissions produced from charging a smartphone 8.8 million times.

The partnership sees Too Good To Go app users 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.

It also guarantees the bags of surplus stock contain at least three times the value of food paid for. At a Midcounties Co-op store specifically, surplus food bags are available for £3.33.

The Too Good To Go tie-up forms another step in the society’s mission to tackle food waste, building on its current scheme, which disposes of food waste via anaerobic digestion. This sees organic matter broken down, which subsequently produces biofertiliser and biogas in the absence of oxygen. 

Other sustainable initiatives include the soft plastic recycling scheme it launched earlier this year, as well as replacing all single-use plastic carrier bags with compostable bags in 2020. 

“Our commitment to help build a more sustainable world remains as strong as ever, and we are always looking for new solutions that help us to deliver this,” said Midcounties Co-op chief food retail officer Rupert Newman.

“We already have an excellent system in place to reduce our food waste and this partnership with Too Good To Go helps us to take that even further,” he added. “As well as changing how we process food waste, we want to ensure as much as possible is consumed and – coupled with our sophisticated reduce-to-clear pricing model – this new initiative helps us to do just that.”

Too Good To Go UK MD Paschalis Loucaides said: “Tackling climate change has never been more vital. That’s why I’m so thrilled that Too Good To Go has partnered with all 227 Midcounties Co-operative stores.

”Food waste accounts for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, so by reducing the volume of perfectly good food going to waste together we can take a big bite out of the problem. I’m excited to see how much more of an impact our partnership can have in the weeks, months and years ahead.”