New Yorkers Get a New Way to Fight Food Waste as Too Good To Go Launches its App in the US, Connecting Neighborhood Restaurants and Grocery Stores with Consumers

NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinciding with the first annual International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, a day designated by the United Nations General Assembly to bring awareness to the global problem of food waste's impacts on climate change, Too Good To Go is launching in the U.S., making its debut in New York City, which tops the heap of food-wasting cities in America. Via an easy-to-use mobile app available for iOS in the Apple store or Google Play for Android, Too Good To Go connects restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and markets to neighborhood residents, enabling them to save meals by picking up surplus food that would otherwise be tossed.

Too Good To Go has quickly become the go-to for conscious consumers around the world, available in 15 markets including Italy, Spain, the U.K., and France with more than 25 million downloads. Collectively, these consumers have saved 43 million meals using Too Good To Go.

Food Waste in the Big Apple

With 1.3¹ million tons of food wasted every year – enough to fill the Empire State Building more than 32 times – New Yorkers can have a big impact on helping solve issues of food waste. While the average household in NYC wastes 8.4lbs of food per week¹, according to a recent survey commissioned by Too Good To Go², 86% of city area residents want to do more to reduce their food waste.

At the same time, education around the benefits of reducing food waste is lagging. The Too Good To Go survey also found that while 88% of New Yorkers are concerned about climate change, they don't recognize food waste as the big contributor it is. While New Yorkers rank activities like using renewable energy and recycling high in terms of climate impact, reducing food waste is low on their list of solutions, with just 9% of people understanding the major impact it could have.

"The reality is reducing food waste is one of the most impactful ways to help the environment and everyday changes, like using the Too Good To Go app, are a great way to start. By the time a consumer uses the service two times, they'll have prevented the CO2e equivalent of charging 638 smartphones," says Too Good To Go co-founder Lucie Basch.

"Our model has been to bring the Too Good To Go solution to some of the biggest cities in the world, helping inspire and empower large communities to take action swiftly. The team has set its aspirations high by picking NYC because the opportunity to make an impact is so great. We're excited to show people it's an easy, fun, and delicious way to start making a positive impact now" continued Basch.

A Deliciously Easy Solution

Too Good To Go helps everyday people fight food waste in their local communities by connecting them to restaurants and grocery stores with surplus meals and ingredients through an easy-to-use app. Once registered, users can choose from their favorite local spots to pick up meals – everything from bagels to dim sum, or ingredients like apples and avocados, for a third of the normal price. This presents a win-win-win solution in which consumers get great food (presented in a Too Good To Go "Surprise Bag"), store owners no longer throw away delicious surplus, and we, together, help the planet by reducing waste.

With nearly 200 NYC partners already signed on for launch, Surprise Bags are available from restaurants and shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Fare, Ladurée, Tartinery, Breads Bakery, Black Seed Bagel, Stumptown Coffee, Prince St Pizza, and many more.

"While climate change issues often feel overwhelming, this is an immediate win for restaurants, consumers, and the environment that can make an impact right away," said Gaeleen Quinn, Too Good To Go's East Coast Director. "We look forward to expanding to all five boroughs and are excited to be a part of a positive movement that also helps advance New York City's ambitious Zero Waste goals."

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Sources:

¹NRDC's Food Waste City Level Report

²This Geo CARAVAN survey was conducted by ENGINE INSIGHTS among a sample of 504 residents in the New York DMA 18 years of age and older. This survey was conducted September 15-20, 2020.

About Too Good To Go

Too Good To Go, a certified B Corp, is a social impact company leading the food waste revolution. Our app connects consumers to surplus food from restaurants and grocery stores, such as pastries, fresh produce, sushi and more, which would otherwise be thrown away to make room for the next batch of goods. Too Good To Go works to inspire and give everyone the opportunity to take the fight against food waste and make a difference. In order to make a difference, the company has, among other things, launched initiatives to change date markings on food, produced free material for schools and inspired households to change food waste behaviors in the home.

SOURCE Too Good To Go