Waste Warrior Guidelines

Melissa Moore

December 21, 2020

Are you new to the fight against food waste? We're thrilled to have you. Our Waste Warrior Guidelines were created to help you get the most out of your experience rescuing food with Too Good To Go:

1) Respect the Mission

Reducing food waste is the most impactful action we can take against climate change, from reducing C02e emissions to transport costs and water conservation While we’re excited we can offer our Surprise Bags for ⅓ of the cost of the contents, our mission is not to provide discounted foods, our mission is to give unsold food a second chance to be consumed.

Reducing food waste at wallet-friendly prices sometimes means giving a little love to items that may be less fresh or less visually appealing than their full-priced counterparts. We love produce with character.

2) Embrace the Surprise

While it completely makes sense to expect pizza slices at a pizzeria, in a Too Good To Go Surprise Bag anything is possible! A pizza shop might share anything from mozzarella sticks to french fries, or their surplus ingredients. As long as the store is providing you with items that come directly from their stores, embrace the unexpected!

We understand that everybody has their own taste preferences and may receive an item they do not personally enjoy. However, as stores are typically unable to predict what will be left at the end of the day, we’re not able to allow our Waste Warriors to select what will come in their Surprise Bags. On occasion, a store may have enough unsold goods to allow you to choose what goes in your Surprise Bag, but this is certainly a fun bonus if it occurs and not what is to be expected when saving food with us.

3) Get Creative

Sometimes the items in your Surprise Bag may need to be transformed in the kitchen in order to be consumed. Did you receive overly ripe fruit in a grocery bag? Make a smoothie or a pie! Stale bread products in a baked goods bag? Bread pudding, croutons, and even cookies are great options to make. Did you receive a variety of side dishes in a meal bag? Heat them up back at home and add some personalized ingredients to create a new dish!

At times you also may receive items close to their expiration date which require creativity to use. Did you receive a dairy product that’s close to the expiration date? Bake it up! Milk, yogurt, and even sour cream can be used to create delicious baked goods or tangy sauces. And always keep in mind that most foods can be frozen to be used later.

4) Plan Ahead

Noting the pickup time for each order is an important step in the process to save unsold food from going to waste. Each store’s pickup time is based not only on their hours of operation but also on what time their staff is able to determine which of their items have been leftover or need to be pulled from their shelves.

Depending on the store and the day, bags may be packed up and ready for you right away, while sometimes you may need a wait a few minutes as they’re put together for you. Think of the pickup window as open/close hours for Surprise Bags! If a grocery store is open from 7am - 10pm and you arrive at 6:55am it’s too early and you can’t get in. If you arrive at 10pm it’s too late, the store has closed. Pickup windows work the same way. So make sure you plan ahead and arrive within the designated pickup time to rescue your Surprise bag.

5) Don't Be A Stranger

When the time comes to rescue your Surprise Bag, we’re right alongside you. So If you run into any trouble with the contents of your Surprise Bag or pickup overall we ask you to reach out using the Help Center in the app. We understand this might not feel like the most convenient method of communication at the moment, but we’ve found it’s the most expedient way to find the best solution for both you and the store.

Keep in mind Waste Warrior Guideline #1: Respect the Mission! We need the participation and enthusiasm of both our Waste Warriors and our partnering stores in order to save unsold food from going to waste. Allowing us at Too Good To Go to handle any issues will ultimately help to resolve any issues, prevent them from happening again, and move us further towards creating a planet with no food waste!