Too Good to Go App Launches in CT to Help Fight Food Waste and Save on Meals

The Too Good to Go app, which aims to help fight food waste, launched in Connecticut this past week. The free mobile app connects its users to local businesses with surplus food. When using the platform, consumers are able to access unsold food at a fraction of its retail price. Instead of businesses throwing away perfectly good food at the end of the day, they list a ‘Surprise Bag’ on the Too Good to Go app that users are able to purchase. According to the app’s website, the ‘Surprise Bags’ are sold at 25-50% of their contents' original retail value — a win-win-win for businesses, customers, and the environment. 

Originally from Denmark, Too Good to Go launched in the U.S. in 2020 and is active in 33 markets across the country. Currently, the app works with 140 businesses in Connecticut and is adding new partners daily. Because of the app’s rapid growth, Sarah Soteroff, Senior PR Manager of North America at Too Good To Go, encourages residents to check back often to see what new stores have joined and what delicious new ‘Surprie Bags’ are ready to be saved.

“The ‘Surprise Bag’ represents the unpredictable nature of food waste. Stores are not always going to know the exact breakdown of their surplus; the surprise is part of the fun and gives consumers a chance to get creative with the items they rescue,” says Soteroff. 

Food waste continues to be a global issue, and Connecticut is no exception. According to the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency, Connecticut has roughly 520,000 tons of food waste each year. Not only is this problematic because nearly 13% of the Connecticut population faces food insecurity but also because the food system has an enormous impact on the environment; agriculture is responsible for 80% of deforestation and food waste is estimated to represent 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Too Good to Go app helps fight food waste specifically at the retail stage of the supply chain. The platform connects users with all types of food establishments, like grocery stores, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, pizzerias, etc. For many different reasons, these businesses have a food surplus at the end of the day; bakeries want to maintain certain freshness standards, caterers overestimate an event’s headcount, restaurants have a slow day, or grocery stores have food that’s past the best by date. The marketplace gets this excess food onto plates, saving it from discard. 

While the exact contents of the ‘Surprise Bags’ are unknown, the merchants usually include a categorization or brief description so customers have some idea of what they’re getting; it could be a bag of fresh produce, ready-to-eat meals, snacks, baked goods, or beverages. Once a user finds an offering that piques their interest, they can reserve it and pick it up during the designated pick-up window, set by the business. 

One local business on the app is the award-winning bakery, Wave Hill Breads, who joined in 2022 as one of the first Fairfield County partners. Since then, owner Tim Topi says they have saved over 3,000 meals and avoided 9.12 metric tons of CO2e. At Wave Hill Breads, they try to put together ‘Surprise Bags’ that give customers a good sense of their product offerings. A typical bag — priced at $6.99 with a retail value of $21 — could be a mix of one or two artisan loaves and something sweet, like a pastry cookie.

“Caring for our community is part of our mission, so participating in a program that helps us eliminate waste and makes food more available is important to us. Too Good To Go helps us to avoid waste and makes us visible to more customers who may not have known us otherwise. New customers are willing to give us a try, are happy with the quality of their bags, and in turn become recurring customers, making it truly a full circle,” says Topi.