Food waste has been top of mind for me lately. From having an idea to stock community fridges around my city, to also wanting to save money on food while staying well-nourished, I set out to find some answers.

I know of various restaurants that will give away food to people at the end of the night, but I was curious how grocery stores and small cafes navigated this same obstacle. 

That’s how I became acquainted with Too Good To Go, an app that launched in 2015. It uses inteligenţă artificială features to tackle food waste by connecting people with local restaurants, cafes and grocery stores selling surplus food at discounted prices. This not only keeps waste out of landfills and instead feeds humans, but also helps local businesses further connect with returning and new customers. 

I’m all for a mutually beneficial relationship, and I appreciate promoting sustainability, so I was eager to see how this app with an AI-powered back end could help me power through grocery shopping. 

What is Too Good To Go, and how does it use AI?

Founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Thomas Bjørn Momsen, Klaus Bagge Pederson, Adam Sigbrand and Brian Christensen, Too Good To Go’s mission is to help businesses reduce waste while providing affordable meals. Operating across multiple countries, it promotes sustainability so that perfectly edible food isn’t thrown away.

The app offers its services for both consumers and businesses — and is free to download and list surplus items. For business accounts, Too Good To Go charges a commission on each transaction, which varies based on the region and specific agreement with Too Good To Go. 

Too Good To Go first uses an AI analysis of real-time supply to match food with people nearby who are likely to pick up based on past behavior, proximity and preferences. On the inventory side, Too Good To Go utilizes a tool called Magic that provides grocery retailers with AI-powered predictions to forecast overstock and near-expiry products. 

AI also works on the back end to ensure that surplus food is efficiently delivered to customers, helping reduce waste. This includes product categorization and usage trends to improve the timing and visibility of the food being offered. 

How to use Too Good To Go to reduce food waste

Too Good To Go is a mobile application, so download it to your phone via the iOS sau Android app stores. And then get ready to be enticed by delicious-looking pastries.

1. Create an account using your Apple or Facebook account or an email address to log in. 
2. Next, set your location within your city’s radius to find nearby participating businesses. You can set your screen to map or list views to get an idea of what’s nearby and in your general area. 
3. Before starting to browse, you’ll also need to fill out a quick survey, including notification preferences and a pickup time window. 
4. Too Good To Go calls leftover food parcels “surprise bags” since each restaurant shares the quantity of what you’ve purchased, but never the specific items inside. You can navigate through various restaurants and grocers, or filter based on the type of food: Groceries, Bread & Pastry or Meals. And you can filter the date you’d like to pick up as well as any dietary requirements. 
5. Once you’ve found a surprise bag available within your pickup window, purchase through the app and head over to your location to collect your food. 
6. There’s also an option to review your items and share your experience.

Should you use Too Good To Go?

I believe any form of technology that helps do something good for the planet and its inhabitants is a positive thing. With the price of groceries and sit-down restaurants growing exponentially, it helps everyone to give and receive. 

For example, I was able to snag three to four servings of hot foods from grocery stores in one surprise bag that cost 60% to 75% off their normal sticker price. Oh, and those delicious (but overpriced) donuts that always look better than they taste? I picked up a dozen for $5, when they’re usually around $22. I was concerned about unsold pastries, so I was pleased to find that no food had gone bad or was stale. Simply left over.

The app itself is set up very similarly to a food delivery app — without the extra charges and hidden fees — so browsing is both familiar and simple. 

However, even though the app is available in 19 countries, there aren’t many options to choose from for the metropolitan area I live in, which makes me wonder if the app’s reach is even more limited in more rural areas. 

I was specifically looking for meals, which sell out pretty quickly. Due to limited quantities, it is necessary to be active on the app to grab what you want before it sells out.

That aside, this process ultimately helps businesses forecast surplus and manage their inventory better, which can improve food distribution while reducing environmental impact. 

The overall impact of Too Good To Go (which says it’s got more than 100 million users and has saved over 400 million meals from being wasted across 19 countries) is positive and helpful and it does feel good to take part in — especially when you can save money while reducing food waste at the same time. 

Here’s your excuse for leaning into those novelty-seeking behaviors that thrive on the element of surprise. As a result, everyone can enjoy the feel-good moment.