This award-winning iPhone app aims to reduce food waste

Food waste is a big problem. In the US alone, it’s estimated that more than 80 million tons of food goes to waste every year. The iPhone app Too Good To Go aims to reduce some of that waste by connecting businesses that have food to spare with people who want to eat it.

Businesses are able to post on the app that they need to get rid of food and people can buy them at a hugely reduced price compared to what they'd usually pay.

The kind of food you get deals on with Too Good To Go will depend on the businesses in your area and what particular foods they have to throw out on any given day, which can vary greatly. But you can expect things like unsold snacks. takeaway meals, loaves of bread and more from your local shops, cafes, grocery stores and restaurants.

How does Too Good To Go work?

Once you've downloaded the Too Good To Go app, you'll see a map of nearby restaurants, takeaways, cafes, and grocery stores that have signed up to the service and have a surplus of food that they need to get rid of. The vast majority of meals, snacks, and items are things that are expiring on the day, or within a few days, that the businesses can't make use of or can't sell for other reasons. 

Each business will put together what Too Good To Go calls a 'surprise bag', filled with the food that would otherwise be going to waste and you can browse these based on what you want to eat and your budget.

You can buy your 'surprise bag' through the app and then need to go to the business at a pre-set time to collect it. It's a win-win situation, you get something to eat and a massively reduced price and the business can get rid of unwanted food in a much better way.

Too Good To Go won one of Apple's Cultural Impact Awards for positive change in 2023, and it's easy to see why. If you're looking for a way to save money, try new food, and do your bit to minimize food waste, it's a no-brainer in our books. 

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