PRESS RELEASESImpressive Progress In The Fight Against Food Waste: Too Good To Go Reports +50% Meals Saved in 2022

[London, 28th June 2023] - Too Good To Go, the certified B Corp social impact company behind the world’s number one marketplace for surplus food, has released its 2022 Impact Report, which reveals impressive results in its mission to inspire and empower everyone to fight food waste together.

The report highlights some of the biggest achievements from the company during 2022, including the acquisition of CodaBene, the French startup that created a platform to help retailers to save time and money through better expiry date and inventory management; the launch of Magic Parcels to save food from going to waste at the manufacturing and distribution stage of the supply chain; and the date labelling initiative which aims to reduce food waste at the household level through it’s bespoke ‘look-smell-taste’ label that, in 2022, featured on more than 1.7 billion food product packages.

Mette Lykke, CEO of Too Good To Go said: “Last year, we sought to raise the bar once again. We introduced innovative new solutions, we influenced change through our date labelling campaign, education projects and our policy impact, and we helped our community to save more than 79 million meals from going to waste. This Impact Report represents an opportunity to reflect on our achievements, and a chance to highlight where we can improve, in order to become a better, more responsible and more effective business”.

2022: Positive Impact At Scale

In 2022, Too Good To Go welcomed 52,671 independent food partners and 395 new food brands to the marketplace. Those business partners joined some of the biggest players in the food industry, including Carrefour, Aldi, Starbucks, Morrisons, Costa Coffee, Casino Group, M&B, PAUL Group and Biedronka.

Through their Key Accounts alone, Too Good To Go saved nearly 44 million meals in 2022, equivalent to avoiding the emissions similar to flying 500,000 passengers from London to Berlin. Alongside local entrepreneurs, the social impact company managed to save a further 33 million meals from being wasted.

New In 2022: Deliver Positive Impact Across The Supply Chain

1. Magic Parcel: Rescuing Food Straight From The Manufacturing Stage Of The Supply Chain

18% of all food waste in Europe happens during the manufacturing stage (Eurostat, 2020). That’s why Too Good To Go decided to look beyond its Surprise Bag model, and find additional ways to fight food waste higher up the chain. During 2022 the company introduced its new solution acquiring surplus food directly from manufacturers, offering ‘Magic Parcels’ through the Too Good To Go Marketplace.

These ‘Magic Parcels’ were a success in Denmark and The Netherlands, saving 30,331 meals in 2022.

2. Codabene (M&A): Reducing In-Store Waste While Improving Profitability

In November 2022, Too Good To Go finalised the acquisition of CodaBene, the French technology startup responsible for the "FoodMemo" platform. The platform helps businesses better manage their inventory in order to save food, save time and save money. Through this new technology, Too Good To Go helps grocery and other retailers reduce food waste, which equates to between 1% and 3% of a typical food retailer's annual sales (ADEME, 2016).

Mette Lykke celebrated this milestone:

 “We are delighted to have joined forces with CodaBene and to have added this new platform to our offering to partners. Together, we’re now responding to partner stores’ desire to reduce in-store food waste, whilst also improving profitability”.

With the acquisition of CodaBene, Too Good To Go can also offer its business partners technology that provides:

• Timely and quick detection of products nearing their expiry dates across the full store inventory.
• Seamless decision-making through intelligent recommendations for redistribution of surplus, providing customisable suggestions for products close to their expiration dates.
• Effective (re-)distribution of surplus food across for example in-store discounting or Too Good To Go Surprise Bags
• In 2022, this new technology enabled Too Good To Go’s business partners to save an average of 3 million products each month across more than 1,000 stores. The platform was launched throughout France in 2022 and will be rolled out across the company's other countries of operation in the future.

Date Labelling: A Small Label With A Huge Impact

Too Good To Go has also committed to addressing the food waste challenge arising from confusion surrounding date labels. In the EU 50% of consumers indicate being confused by the difference between "use by", "best before" and "sell by''. The misinterpretation of these labels is responsible for 10% of the food wasted in the EU (EC, 2018).

Since 2019, the company has partnered with some of the world's leading consumer goods companies to incorporate their ‘look-smell-taste’ label on products. These labels aim to educate consumers that a product past its best before date can still be edible. Therefore encouraging people to trust their senses and assess the food based on its ‘look, smell and taste’ before wasting it.

During 2022, the Too Good To Go date label could be found in 1.7 billion products in 13 markets across Europe, with 465 different brands using them. A number that has dramatically increased in 2023.