Amid rising food prices and overall inflation, Matthew Hall is trying to stretch his grocery budget and save up to replace his old car.
Hall regularly uses an app called Too Good to Go to get deep discounts on food.
Hall and other buyers are using these services, which connect grocery stores, cafes and restaurants with consumers, to help solve food affordability issues and encourage sustainability by reducing food waste.
“In the interest of sustainability and keeping things out of the landfill, I use it for things I can use in meal prep to keep costs down,” Hall, 25, of Durham, North Carolina, told USA TODAY. “It’s a win-win for me and the business.”
‘Surprise bags’ could save shoppers more than 50%
Too Good to Go launched in Europe in 2016 and is now in 21 countries with 120 million users and 180,000 partners, said Chris McAuley, vice president of North America operations. He said that this app is available in 62 cities of America and there are plans to make it available in less than 70 cities by the end of the year.
The company said that through the app, partners are offered “surprise bags” of food items at more than 50% off retail price, but often closer to a third of the original retail cost.
The company said users in the US have collectively saved more than $458.9 million on Surprise Bags.
Customers don’t know what products will be inside the surprise bags they buy for pickup at the business, McAuley said, though they’re usually in a category like produce or frozen goods.
“What they know is they’re going to get a very good value,” McAuley told USA TODAY.
For the merchant, “It’s a tremendous win…it’s great food that would normally go in the (trash) bin is now getting into the hands of the customer,” he said.
Meal Prep with Surprise Bag Ingredients
Hall mostly uses the app to purchase discounted Whole Foods Surprise Bags. He has occasionally bought a surprise bag from the local bakery.
Since he doesn’t know what will be in the bag, Hall said it’s a way to supplement and save on his overall weekly grocery shopping. They also love the challenge of finding new recipes to prepare from whatever is in the surprise bag.
Recently a surprise meat bag from Whole Foods priced at $9.99 was valued at $30 and contained 5 pounds of chicken that was close to its sell-by date.
Hall froze 3 pounds and cooked the rest.
“I made a bunch of chicken quesadillas the next day and put it in Spanish rice and burrito bowls,” he said.
A produce bag pickup included a lion’s mane mushroom – which Hall had to look up on the Internet.
“I started cooking them and using them with steaks,” he said. “I like to incorporate new things into what I’m cooking.”
Businesses profit from selling surplus goods
Too Good to Go Surprise Bags are available at more than 530 Whole Foods stores across the US
The retailer told USA TODAY that the bags let customers buy a mix of items closer to their “best-by” date at lower prices versus those priced at significantly higher prices. Surprise bags can range in price from $6.99 for a bag of $21 worth of produce to $9.99 for a bag of seafood worth $30.
The grocer said the program is a part of Whole Foods Market’s broader waste reduction strategy, which also includes donations to food banks and compost programs.
“Our program with Too Good to Go makes it easier for customers to get their favorite products at lower prices, while also helping to reduce food waste,” Whole Foods Market spokesperson Nathan Cimbala told USA TODAY. “We have seen strong interest since expanding last year, and we are continuing to expand offerings.”
Too Good To Go also helps entrepreneurs connect with new and existing customers while solving the problem of excess food wastage.
Christophe Roberts, founder of Seed Brooklyn, a café, retail space and art gallery in New York City, said that as much as he tries to only have enough baked goods for customers to buy, at the end of the day there’s often excess that he doesn’t want to sell at full price the next day.
Roberts told USA TODAY that it made sense to offer baked goods at deep discounts to the community.
“Being able to provide some type of relief and not let it go to waste is a wonderful aspect of this partnership,” he said.
Roberts said he is embarrassed to admit that as a newbie entrepreneur, he used to throw away baked goods that couldn’t be sold. But since he offers his baked goods on the app, he can potentially attract new customers to his business, he said.
McAuley acknowledged that because the contents of the bags are a surprise, there may be some limitations for shoppers who have food allergies. Customers can ask at the time of pick-up if there are any items in the bag that may contain allergens and choose not to pick up the bag and receive a refund instead, she said.
Connecting shoppers to businesses is one of many ways businesses can sell or donate excess food. They can also donate to local food banks.
McAuley said app users are not turning away from other organizations feeding the needy because “there is so much waste inside the food supply ecosystem or supply chain.”
FlashFood lets shoppers choose which additional items they want
Another app that shoppers are using to get discounted foods, especially from grocery stores, is FlashFood. The concept is the same – connecting shoppers with grocers who have surplus food close to its best-by date – but the difference is that shoppers choose specific foods offered by the grocer in the app to pick up at the store.
FlashFood was founded in Canada about nine years ago and entered the central United States region about four years ago, said CEO Jordan Schenk.
About 40% of food produced globally is wasted in categories like meat, produce and dairy, Schenk said.
“We were founded with the mission of making sure it gets to people’s plates,” Schenk told USA TODAY.
Food items, which are available at up to 50% discount, are entered into the app by grocery partners at all times of the day, he said. Additionally, produce boxes, typically containing 10 pounds of fruits and vegetables, are available at deep discounts.
FlashFood has partnered with more than 2,000 grocery stores in 28 states and expanded its pilot program with Kroger earlier this year.
“By partnering with FlashFood, we are giving customers another way to save on the groceries they need, while ensuring that more food is used for its intended purpose – feeding families,” said Kate Mora, president of Kroger Mid-Atlantic. “This is a win for our customers and for our communities.”
Schenk said FlashFood has been offering shoppers a solution to stretch their grocery dollars for years, including after the COVID-19 pandemic when inflation was high and now also.
“The demand from buyers to access platforms like FlashFood is very high,” he said. “There’s a lot of talk and news coming out about what pricing looks like in this day and age and that’s contributing a lot to our growth.”
Betty Lynn-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY.