Too Good To Go, the world’s “largest” marketplace for surplus food, has announced it is doubling its Australian footprint with the service now available in Sydney. 
In Australia, food waste is a multi-billion-dollar problem, with over 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted annually, 70% of which is still edible, according to the company.
The Danish-born certified B-Corp launched its Australian operations in Melbourne in late August with Melbournians quickly embracing the service. Since its launch, Too Good To Go users have saved over 25,000 meals – “this is the equivalent of 67,500kg CO2e avoided, 70,000sqm/year of land use avoided, and over 20.250 million litres of water avoided.”
The free mobile app allows users to purchase a Surprise Bag of food, that would have otherwise been thrown to waste, at a reduced price from a range of bakeries, cafes, restaurants, grocery stores and other food businesses. Adding to the 150 partners in Melbourne, a number of local Sydney favourites like It’s Recess, Sweet Chick, TonTon Bread have joined the platform for its launch.
Too Good To Go Country Director of Australia Joost Rietveld said, “Launching in Sydney is an important step in our goal to help halve Australia’s food waste by 2030. We have seen an incredible response from Australians so far, with over 130,000 people downloading the app, eager to make a difference and start saving food. We are calling on all Sydneysiders to join the movement and make an impact on the growing food waste problem.
We have seen a considerable response from businesses across Melbourne and Sydney, eager to also reduce their food surplus by joining the platform. We know Australia has a strong commitment to sustainability and the food business industry is stepping up to do its bit, making changes to reduce their impact on the food waste issue.”
How the Too Good To Go App works:
- Find surplus food near you: Users search Too Good To Go’s Marketplace app for stores nearby that have surplus food available.
- Save a ‘Surprise Bag’: Users select a store, reserve a Surprise Bag, and pre-pay in the app.
- Pick up your food: Users arrive within the pick-up window that the store sets, show their in-app receipt and receive their Surprise Bag to enjoy.
The Too Good To Go Surprise Bag leverages the unpredictability of surplus food and food waste by enabling businesses the flexibility to save any and all food at the end of the day, including prepared food, fresh produce and baked items that would otherwise be thrown away.
“The Marketplace promotes a win-win-win solution. Food businesses are able to generate income from stock that would have otherwise been discarded to waste, Too Good To Go app users get quality food from great locations at a reduced price which comes in handy during the cost of living crisis, and the environmental benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as we know food waste accounts for 10% worldwide (WWF, 2024).”
The success of Too Good To Go in Melbourne has attracted some of Australia’s most notable businesses in the food industry such as Bakers Delight, Harris Farm Markets and Sushi Sushi to join the marketplace and pioneer in an effort to reach their ESG goals and make an impact on their food waste.
Bakers Delight joint-CEO Elise Gillespie said: “We’ve introduced a number of initiatives in recent years to help manage our food waste responsibly, so we are enthusiastic about trialling the Too Good To Go concept in 30 of our Sydney-based bakeries.
“We believe this initiative will be a great way for our bakeries to reduce food wastage, whilst delivering a bit of extra delight to our customers at the end of the day.”
Harris Farm Markets Head of Sustainability Kate Haselhof said: “Sustainability has always been at the heart of Harris Farm Markets, and we’re dedicated to partnering with like-minded organisations to create shopping experiences that don’t cost the earth.
“While we’ve made significant strides in reducing and diverting food waste, our new partnership with Too Good To Go allows us to rescue delicious food and put it back into the hands of the community. Together, we’re proud to be reshaping consumption, reducing waste, and demonstrating that every meal saved is a meaningful step towards a healthier planet.”
Sushi Sushi CEO Stephen Anders said: “Every Sushi Sushi meal should bring joy to our customers rather than contribute to waste. We proudly set the sustainability benchmarks for the sushi category, and our partnership with Too Good To Go is a great example of how we prioritise reducing what goes to landfill.
“Our sushi is made fresh in-store daily and this partnership embodies our commitment, ensuring that our sushi is enjoyed by as many people as possible. It also allows us to inspire our customers to join us in creating a more sustainable future, one meal at a time.
“We’re excited the Too Good To Go initiative is expanding and look forward to our Sydney community embracing our Surprise Bags at our QVB and Clarence Street CBD stores.”
The Too Good To Go App already has more than 100 million registered users in 19 countries, empowering everyone to save more than 350 million meals since 2016. Sydney’s launch doubles down on Too Good To Go’s third continental expansion, with other cities set to continue this roll out.
The easy to use app is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android.