200+ Boston businesses selling food at fraction of price instead of tossing

BOSTON — An app recently launched in Boston and New York City is fighting food waste and helping local businesses at the same time.

Too Good To Go is allowing restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and grocery stores to sell items to customers at a fraction of the price.

What’s available on the app is food that would often otherwise be tossed but is still safe to eat.

The concept aligns with Boston’s current efforts to cut down on food waste, including setting a zero waste goal and a ban on commercial food waste.

“For us, it was important to go to a place where we felt the mindset was ready,” said Lucie Basch, cofounder of Too Good to Go. “We felt the culture in this city was perfect to start our movement.”

Too Good to Go, founded in Copenhagen, is already popular in 14 European countries.

Basch said the number of students in Boston also made it appealing for one of the app’s first two U.S. locations.

“For them, they have small budgets,” said Basch. “We’re also seeing families using this app.”

The South End Food Emporium is among more than 200 Boston area businesses currently participating.

Customers who use the app can claim ‘surprise bags’ for just $3.99.

“Fruits, vegetables cheeses, meats, pastas…anything we think someone would need for their groceries,” said Daniel Alemu, whose family owns the South End Food Emporium.

The ‘surprise bags’ sold by businesses sometimes contain prepared foods. In some cases, it’s items approaching or just past the “best before” date.

“Sometimes, it’s things that haven’t reached that date yet,” Alemu said. “The good thing is that this food doesn’t go to waste.”

Dirty Water Dough Company on Newbury Street is selling pizza slices on the app an hour before closing time at a 50 percent discount.

“We would normally throw out a couple pizzas before. It has definitely cut the amount we’re throwing out in half,” said Jack McGill, store manager at Dirty Water Dough Company.

The app does not do delivery and relies on customers picking up their orders in person.

Too Good to Go is planning to expand to Philadelphia and DC in the coming months.

Cox Media Group