With food prices soaring, Too Good to Go is launching a shopping bag in collaboration with Whole Foods Market to significantly expand its efforts to reduce food waste and provide affordable meals.
Too Good To Go is an app that connects users with stores and restaurants that offer surplus food in “surprise bags” at significantly lower prices. collaboration with AmazonWhole Foods plans to expand to all 536 grocery stores in the U.S., and the companies announced that the partnership has already saved 1.6 million meals from wastage.
Too Good to Go on Wednesday unveiled surprise bags in seven new categories in collaboration with Whole Foods: produce, seafood, meat, dry goods, frozen foods, refrigerated foods and flowers. Chris McCauley, Too Good to Go’s vice president of North American operations, said the partnership is a win for both consumers and grocers.
“We have an opportunity to increase foot traffic to our stores,” Macaulay said. “Consumers who come into the store are getting tremendous value when they pick up a surprise bag. They don’t know what they’re going to get, but they know they’re getting incredible food at 50% to 70% off.”
The move is an expansion of an established partnership between the two companies that previously included prepared food bags and bakery bags. For the first time, Too Good to Go shoppers will be able to get fresh produce at Whole Foods. Macaulay said the expansion comes as the company focuses on providing affordable meals as consumers endure rising prices at grocery stores and elsewhere.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index report, prices at four out of six major grocery store groups rose in September. Prices for staple foods such as meat, poultry and eggs rose 5.2% compared to the year before the data was released, while prices for fruits and vegetables rose 1.3%. Recent inflation data has been delayed due to the government shutdown.
The lapse in federal funds has led to a court battle over whether the government is obligated to pay SNAP benefits to primarily low-income households, leaving 42 million Americans without SNAP benefits.
Companies are also seeing the economy becoming more fragmented as non-wealthy consumers cut back on spending on non-essentials and look for ways to save money.
“I think we’re starting to see a big split, especially around different consumer segments,” Macaulay said. “It’s hard to put great food on the table and it’s expensive. As a result, finding ways to get that food at a better value is so important. So we can’t be the only solution. We’re excited to be part of the solution to help families facing financial challenges.”
The new surprise bags target consumer staples like produce and poultry and are valued at $21 to $30 each, but priced from $6.99 to $9.99.
Caitlin Liebert, Whole Foods’ vice president of sustainability, said this is part of Whole Foods’ larger goal of delivering on its sustainability promise. He said the company is already seeing high demand for its existing Too Good To Go bags, with more customers picking up bags and buying more on the side for overall savings.
“This is a really great opportunity and another tool for Americans to get more out of every dollar right now, and we know that’s very important,” Liebert said. “This is one way we can get quality food at a more affordable price.”
Whole Foods is not immune to macroeconomic headwinds, Liebert said. But by working with Too Good to Go, grocery chains can find other ways to make their products available to shoppers at affordable prices.
Still, Liebert and Macaulay said the new shopping bags are just one step in a long road to promoting sustainability and providing affordable food.
“We are not ‘achieving’ sustainability; it is a constant evolution of growth and improvement,” Liebert said. “These programs… [are] It’s a very profound and easily accessible way to make an impact. ”
