A socially conscious food app is growing its presence in the Capital Region with the goal of reducing waste and getting diners discounts on local dishes that would otherwise go to the trash.
Too Good To Go, a social impact company based in Denmark, works with restaurants, cafes, grocery stores and other shops to more sustainably do away with unsold or surplus food items. App users can browse through participating eateries’ Surprise Bags, which include food from the locations starting at $3. They can then choose a pick-up time to grab it from the location.
Local restaurants Sambath’s Donuts & More on Essen Lane, Hunan on South Sherwood Forest Boulevard, and Odom’s Kitchen on Delcourt Avenue are currently on the app, along with Whole Foods Market, Krispy Kreme on Plank Road, and every Circle K Treats & Eats location.
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At Hunan, a lunch Surprise Bag might include sushi, noodles or soup for $7. Odom’s Kitchen features unsold food from the hot plate line, like pulled pork and smothered pork chops. At Krispy Kreme, users can pick up a dozen doughnuts for $5.43. A Circle K Surprise Bag could have sandwiches, wraps, salads, snacks or produce for just $4.
Every Surprise Bag equals nearly 6 pounds of CO2 avoided, Too Good To Go says.
According to the World Resources Institute, up to 40% of all food the world produces never gets eaten. Food waste also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and Too Good To Go reports that $1.1 trillion is lost through food waste every year.
Today, there are over 100 million registered users on the app and more than 175,000 businesses partnered. The app has 4.9 stars on the App Store and won the 2023 Cultural Impact category of the Apple App Store Awards.
Other ways to eat sustainably
• The easiest way to eat sustainably, and a method that will also save you money, is to plan your grocery trips before you go. Only buy what you need—impulsive purchases can result in spending more than you need and throwing out food by the end of the week.
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• If you do find yourself with more food than you can eat, donate to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank or community fridges and pantries, like Forum 225’s community pantry on Lorraine Street in north Baton Rouge and The Red Shoes’ community fridge off Government Street.
• Sportsmen can enjoy hunting and fishing and feel good about donating to Hunters for the Hungry afterward.
• College students can stop by on-campus food pantries to grab free food at LSU’s Food Pantry or Southern University’s Jaguars Eats Food Pantry, located in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union.