The Too Good to Go app launched in the Toronto metropolitan area last summer and was recently introduced in Montreal and Vancouver. Now, Too Good to Go is up and running in cities across Canada, including Winnipeg.

The app was developed in Denmark in 2015, and it aims to reduce global food insecurity and food waste.

At the end of operating hours, restaurants with a surplus of food can arrange an assortment of products that would have otherwise been thrown out, deemed “surprise bags.” People can order and pick up these bags for a third of their original cost.

Too Good to Go launched in Winnipeg two weeks ago and already boasts a large catalog of local businesses, including the Exchange District’s Cake-ology.

“The surprise bags have been changing from one day to the next with a different assortment of our (remaining) pastries. We usually sell out in five minutes,” Austin Granados, the co-owner of Cakeology, says.

“Without Too Good to Go, we would usually assess what can be kept and utilized for the next day. With the app, the process has been made a lot easier in terms of knowing what to keep for tomorrow and selling what we know we won’t use.”

Too Good to Go has also partnered with charities across the country, including Harvest Manitoba. Harvest Manitoba is the fourth-largest fooddistribution charity in Canada, supporting over 80,000 Manitobans per month.

Vince Barletta, president and CEO of Harvest Manitoba, says Too Good to Go approached their not-for-profit organization for a partnership.

“We’re happy to work with any number of organizations that are trying to find solutions to food (in)security and who are also trying to reduce food waste, creating pathways for people to get access to affordable and nutritious food.”

People who use the app can directly donate to Harvest Manitoba and other organizations. The app may also help people struggling to keep up with rising grocery prices.

Too Good to Go is available on the App Store and Google Play. For more information, visit toogoodtogo.com.

Published in Volume 77, Number 02 of The Uniter (September 15, 2022)