Food waste prevention app Too Good To Go has made its’ way to Galway, having first arrived in Ireland in October last year.
Too Good To Go is a “social impact company driving a movement against food waste”. The app allows businesses, from cafes and restaurants to grocers and pubs, to advertise excess food (that would otherwise be thrown away) to consumers at a lower price.
Consumers can download the Too Good To Go app and browse through their selection of businesses with unsold food – known on the app as surprise bags. These surprise bags are reserved for you through the app, with a quick payment (of usually less then €5) and an allotted time slot for your collection. Although you won’t know exactly what food you’ve bought until you have gotten it from the shop, that’s the surprise, each business on the app has a general description of the foods they sell.
Two weeks after their Galway Launch, Too Good To Go have over 20 Galwegian businesses signed up. Brands include Café Temple, Marmalade Bakery, Mountain Road Kitchen, Mocha Beans, Caffe Nero and Pascals Café. A complete list can be found on the app or narrowed down to businesses within your corner of Galway.
Too Good To Go has received positive press from the local community since its’ launch. On working with Too Good To Go, Café Temple of St Augustine Street said; “Every year tonnes of food that is perfectly edible is thrown away and anything we can do to counter this and reduce our impact on the planet must be done. Too Good To Go is a great platform as it allows you to connect with your customers and provide them with yummy food (that’s still perfect to eat) that would otherwise be wasted whilst still recovering costs.”
The spokesperson for Café Temple added that: “As a social business we wanted to join Too Good To Go as the ethos just sits perfectly with our goals of sustainability and waste reduction.”
Co-founder of Too Good To Go, Jamie Crummie has also commented on the app’s arrival in Galway, saying; “I’m thrilled to be launching Too Good To Go in Galway. We’ve already seen a huge appetite for fighting food waste since we arrived in Ireland in October last year and I’m excited to see how much of an impact Galwegians can have in the coming months and years. By doing something as simple as saving a Surprise Bag on their way home from work or on their way to meet friends, they’re doing their part in tackling climate change while getting some delicious food in the process – it’s a win-win.”