Too Good To Go, the “world’s largest” marketplace for surplus food, has announced its fourth state of operation with an expansion into Queensland. Building on successful launches in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – where over 600,000 users have saved more than 400,000 meals – Too Good To Go now brings its fight against food waste to Queensland’s vibrant cities, including Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.
Following its Australian debut in August 2024, Too Good To Go has rapidly grown to include more than 1300 partners, making a tangible impact on reducing surplus food waste in major cities across the country. There has been significant public anticipation for this Queensland launch, with organic interest from both businesses and consumers eager to join the movement to cut food waste.
Queensland users can download the free mobile app to purchase ‘Surprise Bags’ of delicious, surplus food from a variety of local businesses – including Banneton Bakery, Happy Dough, Pressi, Shibusawa Bakery and national brands like Bakers Delight, FoodCo’s Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue, Sushi Sushi, and Roll’d – at a significantly reduced price.
“In Australia, the staggering issue of food waste sees more than 7.6 million tonnes discarded annually, of which 70% is still edible,” according to Too Good To Go. “Since August, Too Good To Go partners and users have saved more than 400,000 meals from going to the bin. This translates to an estimated 1,080,000kg of CO2e emissions avoided from entering Earth’s atmosphere, a saving of 1,120,000m2/year of land from being used unnecessarily for food production and over 324,000,000 litres of water being used unnecessarily.”
Joost Rietveld, Country Director of Australia for Too Good To Go, said: “Expanding our footprint to include Queensland is an important step in our goal to help halve Australia’s food waste by 2030. Queenslanders are known for appreciating fresh food, and we are eager to empower Brisbane, and greater Queensland locals to take meaningful action and contribute to a more sustainable future.
“We have seen an incredible response from Australians so far, with more than half a million people joining our community to save food from going to waste. There has never been a better time for food businesses to start saving food with Too Good To Go instead of seeing the food they have created with pride and joy ending up in the bin.”
Stephen Anders, CEO of Sushi Sushi, said: “Sushi Sushi’s commitment to sustainability is embodied throughout our business, ensuring that the fresh sushi we prepare daily is enjoyed, not wasted. Witnessing our successful partnership with Too Good To Go in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, adding our Queensland stores to the partnership aligns perfectly with our national sustainability goals, helping Sushi Sushi continue to set sustainability benchmarks for the category.”
Jason Lyons, General Manager, Beefy’s Pies, said: “Beefy’s is thrilled to be one of the first Queensland businesses to partner with Too Good To Go as it launches in our home state. As a proud Queensland-born brand, it’s incredibly rewarding to be part of a global initiative that’s making strides in the fight against food waste. Remaining stock of our award-winning pies and pastries will be offered as a mixed Surprise Bag on the Too Good To Go marketplace across select stores – it’s a win for both the planet and pie lovers!”
Tessa Boehm, Pressi Juice Owner, said: “At Pressi, community has always been the heart of our operations. We’ve introduced a number of sustainability initiatives like recycling our bottles and donating the funds to local charities and most recently combatting food waste with Too Good To Go. The marketplace has not only helped us ensure that the food and juice we make gets enjoyed by as many people as possible, but it’s also a great way to minimise waste. It’s made a positive impact on my business, my customers, and the environment.”
How the Too Good To Go App works:
- Discover surplus food nearby: Users browse the Too Good To Go Marketplace app to find nearby stores with available surplus food.
- Reserve a Surprise Bag: Users select a store, reserve a Surprise Bag, and securely pay through the app.
- Collect your food: Users visit the store within the designated pick-up window, show their in-app receipt, and collect their Surprise Bag to enjoy.
“The Marketplace creates a win-win-win model: food businesses can recover costs on food that would otherwise be wasted, app users can enjoy high-quality food at great prices, and importantly, it contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as food waste accounts for a significant portion of global emissions,” said Too Good To Go.
“With more than 100 million registered users across 19 countries, the Too Good To Go app has facilitated the saving of over 400 million meals since 2016. The launch in Brisbane and the Gold Coast marks a significant step in Too Good To Go’s continued expansion across Australia, with more cities expected to join the movement.”
