PRESS RELEASESFood waste on the decline amidst rising cost-of-living in Ireland, new study finds

• New survey, conducted by food waste app Too Good To Go to mark its first anniversary in Ireland, reveals that 88% of Irish people feel increasing food prices are a problem for their budget
• Irish people are wasting an average of €600 worth of food a year
• But, two thirds of Irish consumers say they are now throwing away less food than last year, in an effort to cope with these rising food costs

29th September 2022: A new survey commissioned by the world’s largest food saving app, Too Good To Go, has found that Irish consumers are caring more about food waste than ever before, as a result of rising food prices.

Commissioned to mark the FAO’s annual International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste which fell on 29th September, the study sought to find out the impact of inflation on Irish people’s attitudes to food waste.

The survey found that 88% of Irish people say that increasing food prices were a problem for their budget. Millennials seem to be the generation hit hardest by rising food prices, with 93% of 25-44 year olds revealing they are a problem for their budget.

The new survey also revealed that an impressive 96% of Irish people say they care about food waste (2% more than last year, when compared to a similar survey conducted by Too Good To Go in 2021), while two thirds believe they are throwing away less food than last year in an effort to combat rising food costs.

Despite the quantity of food waste seeming to have decreased per household, when it comes to the monetary cost, the results show that people in the Republic of Ireland are wasting, on average, nearly €600 worth of food a year (with people in Galway wasting more than anywhere else at €730, and Corkonians the least, at €472 on average). This national average has risen 10% year on year, when compared to the similar survey conducted by Too Good To Go during its Irish launch this time last year.

The reasons given for throwing away food were mainly due to food being out of date or appearing mouldy, however 9% of those surveyed admitted to throwing food away simply because they did not want it anymore.

In light of these findings, Too Good To Go is on a mission to make it easy for consumers to access quality food for a more affordable price.

The free-to-download app works by connecting businesses with surplus food, to consumers who can save this food from going to waste for a reduced price. All users have to do is download the free app, search for nearby businesses with unsold food, reserve it in advance before collecting at the allotted time.

Since its initial launch in Dublin last September, Too Good To Go has expanded rapidly and is now available nationwide. To date, the app has amassed more than 200,000 registered users across Ireland, and saved 170,000 Surprise Bags of food from going to waste - saving the C02e equivalent of 84 flights around the world from going to waste in the process. In just a year, Too Good To Go has welcomed thousands of food businesses onto the app including household names like Fresh, SPAR, KC Peaches, and Auntie Anne’s, as well as been named one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies in the World for 2022.

Sophie Trueman, Managing Director at Too Good To Go, UK & Ireland comments, 

“I’m so pleased to be celebrating our first anniversary in Ireland this International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. As these survey results show, this year’s awareness day has never been more important, with many of us experiencing steep rises in food costs and looking for new ways to help.

At Too Good To Go, we’re all about reducing food waste and in doing so, enabling people to access quality food in a more affordable way, and in a way that does right by our planet. We’re so proud to see how our Ireland has embraced our mission to fight food waste over this past year, and I can't wait to see the continued impact we can have together in the weeks, months and years ahead.”

ENDS

For press enquiries and imagery, contact press@toogoodtogo.ie

Notes to Editors

Survey conducted in partnership with Markettiers of 506 nationally representative adults in the Republic of Ireland between 09.09.22 and 15.09.22.