What would you say to buying food available for collection in your area, but for a fraction of the usual cost? That sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

The Too Good To Go app makes that happen. It allows you to get fresh, quality food that would have otherwise gone to waste. But instead of going to the bin, it goes to you. Takeout and a bargain—what more can you ask for?

What Does Too Good To Go Offer?

Too Good To Go landing page

Too Good To Go is a free app available for Android and iOS devices. It allows you to get restaurant-quality food for a fraction of the price. There are no catches or hidden conditions. The application gets you good food for an even better price.

Too Good To Go lets you buy unsold food from places that sell food around you—restaurants, supermarkets, bakeries, etc. Anything that got left unsold at the end of the service time for that place and would otherwise go to waste, but this app lets you buy it.

Too Good To Go provides an alternative to throwing away perfectly good food. Instead of chucking it in the bin, the restaurant or takeaway can make a few bucks and you can get a discounted meal. It's a win-win.

How Do You Use Too Good To Go?

After you get the app, it shows you a brief tutorial of sorts. There's an explanation of how the ordering process goes, and it's so simple.

You either enter a manual location or allow the app to use your current location through GPS. If there aren't any stores available in your area, the app will let you know; and if there are, it shows them all.

You can browse through the nearby locations to find the ones you like. Then reserve a Mystery bag, pay for it, and show up to get it when it's time. The app will let you know your allotted time slot to go and pick up your bag, and it's essential not to miss it. If you do, you lose your bag, so be punctual.

It's worth noting that the Mystery bag is also sometimes called a Magic bag or a Surprise bag.

As you might imagine, the Mystery bag you get will be a complete surprise. The food vendor you get it from will fill it with items they had leftover for that particular day. If you use the app for the same place twice in a row, it doesn't guarantee you'll get the same bag. It's a surprise every time.

Suppose you're concerned about food allergies or have specific dietary restrictions. In that case, you can get in touch with the place you're going to and ensure they don't give you something with, say, nuts or gluten if you have an allergy or sensitivity towards them. Or, if it's a preference rather than a requirement, you can ensure to browse stores that cater to your wants. For example, look for a vegan place.

It might limit your options on the app, but at least you'll know that you'll enjoy everything in your Mystery bag.

Where Is Too Good To Go Available to Use?

The Too Good To Go app is already available in 15 international markets, including the UK, France, and the Netherlands. Expanding from Europe to the US, the app is already available in several major American cities with plans for further expansion.

In September of 2020, the app found its way to New York City, Boston, and Jersey City. There, it managed to amass over 300,000 users and over 800 partners in mere months. People using the service in these cities alone have managed to save over 85,000 meals from the trash, which is an impressive number.

Following that success, the app moved to Philadelphia in February 2021, Washington DC in March, and San Francisco in April. As time goes by, more cities will get included, allowing even more people to benefit.

Saving the Planet One Order at a Time

Food waste in a food-insecure world seems like a contradiction. Yet, it's our reality.

Too Good To Go food waste

According to Too Good To Go's website, a whopping third of the food produced goes to waste. Its production accounts for 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions. And these are annual numbers.

The Too Good To Go app aims to make a difference, change those numbers, and reduce waste in a sustainable way. The hope is that the more people use the app, the more food gets consumed instead of ending up in a landfill. On average, each meal you rescue from going to the bin is equivalent to the carbon footprint from charging your smartphone 422 times.

Whether you're a conscious consumer looking to cut down on your carbon footprint or someone who's looking for a bargain, the Too Good To Go app is right for you.

If you can do some good while eating good food, why not go for it?

It's Not All Good Though

In the sea of positive reception, there is a negative bubble. Some people don't see the good in the Too Good To Go app.

This argument is that instead of selling that food, albeit for a few dollars, the food places can instead donate it. However, that's much easier to do in concept than in reality.

Many restaurants, bakeries, cafes, supermarkets, and so on have different surpluses that change day to day. Some places even aim to be so precise with their food that they only have a few meals a week leftover unsold. It's then difficult to go to a food bank with just two donuts, a single pint of ice cream, five dumplings, and two chicken pies to donate. Whereas this would make a lovely Mystery bag for a Too Good To Go user.

Not to mention, many food banks have specific requirements for the food that can get donated. If they're not met, the food goes to waste, which is precisely what the Too Good To Go app tries to combat.

Too Good To Go for businesses

Another argument that pops up has to do with the homeless population. When food goes to the bin, it ends up falling into the hands of people who can't afford it otherwise. Many homeless people don't usually have access to a smartphone, so they can't very well install the app and buy food with their spare change. So, people against the app argue that by giving leftover food to app users, they're taking it out of the hands of homeless people.

Though that is a valid argument, it's hardly fair to just accept that it's normal and expected for people to rummage through a bin to find their next meal. Especially so much so that you'd be against an app that prevents food waste.

If people do have concerns about homeless people going hungry, they can easily use the app themselves, buy a meal for a few bucks, and hand it to the next homeless person they meet. That way, that person doesn't have to go through bins to find food, the food place doesn't waste food, and you helped someone eat for the low price of a few dollars.

Is the Too Good To Go App Too Good to Be True?

The Too Good To Go app allows you to buy fresh, quality food for a fraction of the price.

You go on the app, and in minutes, you can find a place near you and get a Mystery bag for a bargain. It's perfect for people with tight budgets looking to save money, but who still miss going to restaurants and cafes. It's also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint while essentially doing nothing else but ordering food through an app.

Give the Too Good To Go app a try and help both your bank account and the world.