[Closed] Food waste - anyone using Too Good To Go?

I got 4 salads and a tub of single cream... Haven't used it again since! 😂

Great idea, but I can't help but think that if it's destined for landfill then a food bank might be a better solution. Surely there's charities crying out for shit we throw out on a daily basis?

maybe worth a look cheers

@cougar

Great idea, but I can’t help but think that if it’s destined for landfill then a food bank might be a better solution. Surely there’s charities crying out for shit we throw out on a daily basis?

I am currently working on a project on food security, health and nutrition. There is a significant need for non-perishables in food banks including toiletries and nappies. However, there are food larders which work on an exchange basis. Perishables are brought in and people who can use these exchange non-perishables. The basic idea is simple, food waste and food need can be responded too by bringing people together in a process of mutual exchange.

Great idea, but I can’t help but think that if it’s destined for landfill then a food bank might be a better solution

Those routes exist for shops too but food banks struggle with perishable goods - partly getting them distributed fast enough but also if someone can't afford to buy food you often can't afford to refrigerate it or cook it either so there are lots of kinds of food that aren't really appropriate to distribute in that way

One of the problems that arrises when shop pass on too much perishable stuff on to food banks and charities -to be seen by their customers to address food waste-  is they're really passing on the waste and disposal costs of rotten food to a charity to deal with.

I tried it once (small town) in local Costa, and it was appalling - tbs I think the staff had no idea what was involved, I got some pretty ropey offerings. Money back but not been brave enough to try again.

Would be better in a bigger town/city I'd imagine.

Surely there’s charities crying out for shit we throw out on a daily basis?

I'm heading out in a few minutes to collect from our local M&S. Freezerable stuff goes to the local food bank anything perishable is taken by MrsRNP who then cooks a sit down 3course meal with it in the local church. The meal is FOC to anyone. There are usually ~40-50 people who turn up.

She has also been doing HAF (holiday activities food program) for the last year and feeding kids during holidays.

Last year she did 300 x3course Xmas dinners froze them and distributed them out locally.

I own a food business and looked at using it but it really wouldn't work for us. A few reasons which I'll not bore you with.

The idea that it has any impact on food waste is fairly dubious IMO.

We are very conscious of our food waste and it starts with not over-producing in the first place. Leftovers are still inevitable though and weprefer to just it directly to charities and homeless shelters etc, plus friends and staff also get their share.

Out of curiosity i signed up to the app and tried it a few times via a few other cafes etc. Each time I found the stuff I was given was either completely unfit for sale, and I actually just put it in the bin myself, or it was stuff I'd have never chosen in the first place and didn't want.

I guess this sort of thing works if you really love a bargain and aren't bothered about what they give you.

For us we'd prefer to ensure leftovers go to a good home rather than sell stuff off cheap and devalue our own products.

I’m heading out in a few minutes to collect from our local M&S. Freezerable stuff goes to the local food bank anything perishable is taken by MrsRNP who then cooks a sit down 3course meal with it in the local church. The meal is FOC to anyone. There are usually ~40-50 people who turn up.

She has also been doing HAF (holiday activities food program) for the last year and feeding kids during holidays.

Last year she did 300 x3course Xmas dinners froze them and distributed them out locally.

Where the hell is the 'like' button when you need it? That is truly impressive and leaves me feeling a bit pathetic (in a good way)

Had a look on it recently. We're in a small market town so not many places joined up. Choice is either a Gregg's that's a 15 minute drive in one direction and seemingly sells out straight away each day, or a costcutter that's 20 minutes in the other direction and probably full of limp salad bags. That's your lot. I soon uninstalled the app again

Also +1 for the amazing work by Mrs RNP

Fabulous work Mr & Mrs rnp. Like button needed please mods.

Great idea, but I can’t help but think that if it’s destined for landfill then a food bank might be a better solution. Surely there’s charities crying out for shit we throw out on a daily basis?

We have a local charity which buys end-of-shelf supermarket goods and distributes immediately via volunteers.

Britain 2021. Place of plenty/place of need.

I often cycle to the supermarket last thing at night and stock up the freezer with stuff that would have gone off. Saves a fortune and saves waste. We also eat much better for the budget this way.

If it’s a load of vegetables and/or meat I’ll just cook up a fresh soup/stew or wotnot that night and freeze it stored in old Chinese takeaway containers which we’ve been reusing for years now. Easy. Also redistribute freely to neighbours if we have a glut of good stuff or cannot use certain items.

It's not just me and MrsRNP - there are a whole host of volunteers also involved with the cooking, clearing away and delivering. Lucky that the church has a full restaurant spec kitchen including a Rational oven.

My Berlingo was rammed full last night with the collection, was sorted and what wasn't needed I dropped off this morning with another community centre in the next town. Great community spirit and cooperation between all the different agencies and people involved.

Been busy collecting from our local Tesco and M&S - fresh for MrsRNP and her team, anything freezable/tinned for the two local food bank and drop in centre.
Turkey dinner cooked and tables set with an open invite in the local Church.
Food boxes delivered over the last few days for those isolating.

Anything not used then gets split between the town's composting bins and a local horse stable.

Off out with the dog now then joining MrsRNP for Xmas lunch - happy Christmas everyone!

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Merry Xmas RNP. Your efforts are humbling.

My wife volunteers for Olio a few times a week. She collects unsold food that Tesco’s would otherwise throw out. Can be anything from nothing , to a couple of items to literally hundreds of bananas (which she managed to reallocate all of them)
She then puts them online for other local people to collect from her. It’s all walks of life, from well off to those who don’t have a lot.
Anything that’s past it’s used by date is not allowed to be collected (any bread falling under that soon gets made into bread and butter pudding ).
She’s allowed to keep up to 15% of what she collects , so we have a few in date items. Always seems to get Portuguese Tarts , which I had never heard of previously, but make a welcome accompaniment to a cup of tea in the mornings she gets them

Mrs Sandwich also does a day a week for Olio plus the odd extra when the supermarket has too much stock. They get rid of the stuff that the food banks can't take (food banks get first refusal on most things nowadays).

Anyone from government claiming that private enterprise is the most efficient needs telling that they aren't. The number of times we have had boxes of doughnuts to get rid of or excess boxes of bananas is testament to that fallacy. The express stores are some of the worst for overstock control.

(EDIT by boxes we're talking hundreds in a large box that need breaking down into 4 packs for sale).