Is Too Good To Go too good to be true? Customers say anti-food waste app has become a ‘rip off’ with restaurants serving ‘tiny portions’ of ‘mouldy food’
When it was launched in 2015, Too Good to Go looked set to revolutionise the food industry.
The app allows customers to purchase near-expired produce, surplus stock and food that would have gone to waste for cheap – and it was an immediate success.
In the nearly 10 years since, the Copenhagen-based Too Good to Go has expanded to the US and, more importantly, ‘saved’ more than 350 million meals from being tossed in the trash.
This means 350 million customers have paid a small price, usually between £3 and £5 for ‘a magic bag’ of groceries, baked goods, and restaurant meals that would have otherwise been thrown out.
By eliminating food waste, the company claim they save the equivalent of 810,000 tonnes of CO2e, 243 billion litres of water use, and 840 million m2 of land use per annum.
Today, Too Good to Go boasts 155,000 active partners worldwide, including dozens of eateries selling these ‘surprise bags’ for a fraction of their cost.
Among these are several supermarkets including Aldi, Morrisons, Asda, Nisa, and even SPAR convenience shops.
However, an increasing number of customers have become disillusioned with the app in recent years – with several people complaining about being served meagre portions, mouldy food, and limited choices in angry social media posts.
When Too Good To Go launched in 2015, it was set to revolutionise the food industry. The app, which allows customers to purchase near-expired produce, surplus stock and food that would have otherwise gone to waste, was an immediate hit. But now customers are complaining of mouldy food (pictured mouldy croissants from a Too Good To Go bakery)
Customers have taken to TikTok share pictures and clips of their food going out of date
In another video, another woman shared her experience rescuing a surprise bag in Bristol, claiming the food she received was ‘absolutely disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’
But despite it’s success over the last eight years, an increasing number of customers have become disillusioned with app, with more patrons complaining of meagre portions, out of date food and poor choice
In one TikTok, a creator with the username @kelly198810 shared a haul of products she purchased in a Morrison’s Too Good To Go bag, which included 30 eggs with one day left on their sell-by-date and several loaves of ‘rock hard’ bread.
She began the short clip by saying: ‘I thought I’d try one again, I’ve not had one for a few months. This time we went to Morrison’s.
‘First of all, we have a loaf of bread that is rock hard and open.
‘We then have a second loaf of bread, and then a third loaf of bread. I think I just get bad luck on these too good to go things.’
‘We also have some crusty bread rolls. I know they’re meant to be hard but literally I punched that and it did not move.’
Fellow TikTok users took to the comments section to share that they had had similar experiences with Too Good to Go partners, including receiving food that was no longer edible.
One person wrote: ‘I got a Morrisons one and got a lot of veg and it was going brown!!!’
Another said: ‘Morrisons is the worst – I gave up after I got one [bag] filled with wet slimy mushrooms and bread rolls!’
While some have been overjoyed with packed containers brimming with delicious treats, not everyone has had such a positive experience, with an increasing number of patrons complaining of ‘mouldy’ food and small portions for the price
Others complained of ‘terrible’ combinations, having received a bag containing dozens of expired donuts and four bulbs of garlic.
One TikTok user, nostalgia.2000s1, described their rescue bag from Costa as ‘a little bit disappointing’.
He noted that the price of its contents – one bacon roll, a Cajun chicken wrap and a tandoori spiced bhaji wrap which he said ‘doesn’t look the best’ – had already been slashed by 50 per cent.
‘It was 50 per cent off so they were due to chuck it out anyway,’ he said, adding that he wouldn’t get another bag from Costa in the future
Not only are customers disappointed by the quantity of food, but several have also complained they received ‘rotten’ items.
A woman from Bristol slammed the app after she picked up a bag full of ‘absolutely disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’ produce.
The creator, lyndsayjane1900, said: ‘This is food that should have been put in the bin two days ago that they’ve then made me pay for.’
Revealing the contents of the bag, she pulled out salad leaves that were ‘already yellowing and sweating in the bag’ as well as a selection of browning potatoes that were ‘absolutely ready for the bin’.
But despite it’s success over the last eight years, an increasing number of customers have become disillusioned with app, with more patrons complaining of meagre portions, out of date food and poor choice
She also received soft broccoli, wrinkled peppers, and mouldy carrots and onions as well as ‘slimy’ beetroot – all of which she was forced to throw out.
She said she would raise the issue with the company and insist on getting her money back.
In another video, one patron of the no-waste app purchased a bag from Nisa only to discover they had received a number of products that were out-of-date – including four packets of ham and pork pies.
‘I wont be trying Nisa again for their Too Good To Go bag and I would recommend avoiding them if you don’t eat pork,’ they warned.
Again, several people flocked to the comments section to talk about their own negative experiences with Too Good to Go.
One wrote: ‘I once ordered TGTG from Morrisons. Never again. They gave me black bananas that were leaking, mouldy oranges and some EXPIRED meat (expired three days before).
‘I got a refund thankfully but never again.’
Another said: ‘Tried Toby carvery-Eden Park! Couldn’t even give a 0. Hard mash, 2 burned sausages. Inedible. feel ripped off by Too good to go. I won’t even use that Toby as a result.’
Another customer shared a bag of mouldy fruit she’d recieved from the app
Others shared snaps of mouldy muffins
The slew of negative reviews has impacted Too Good to Go’s TrustPilot rating that currently sits at 3.5 stars.
One of the comments on the website read: ‘The food was diabolical it was completely inedible. Chicken snacks obviously stored incorrectly as packaging was warm and blown up so almost bursting
‘Soggy eclairs that looked as if they had been kicked around the floor, and warm chicken and duck sushi again looked beaten up. A warm tub of cottage cheese.’
A second person even accused the app of having scammed them, writing: ‘People are being scammed and not even realising it.
‘You don’t save money, I checked the next day [and] the price of the food I got on the bakery and it was £4 for 2 croissants and 2 pastries.’
On Reddit, people have also complained Too Good to Go has ‘gone to s***’.
‘I thought the whole point of the app was for restaurants to sell food that they already made but can’t sell so they get rid of it instead of trashing it.
‘I had to stop using the app because I kept getting restaurants giving me non menu items, basically they would just take leftover ingredients and make some stupid BS to sell. I also one time had them sell me a menu item but for more [money].
‘These companies are ruining the app because it ruins the whole purpose of Too Good To Go’.
Some customers say they paid for £11 worth of food just to get ‘some rice’
One person was given a smashed up cake on the app
Others still have accused sellers of ‘using the app as a bin’.
Earlier this year, Jade West used Too Good to Go to buy a surprise bag from her local Morrisons in the Sheldon area of Birmingham.
She said she was so excited to try the app, she placed her order early in the day and paid £3.09 for two bags of food that were worth a total of £12.
But when Jade collected her bag later that evening, she was left disgusted by its contents.
Inside, there was a variety of fruit and vegetables, including three bunches of bananas that had turned black and a large head of discoloured cabbage that had gone bad.
Other items included cherries, bean sprouts and carrots which, she said, also arrived in a bad state.
The Birminngham resident was particularly shocked at the bag of potatoes because, she claimed, the packaging had been ripped open.
After her experience, Jade vowed never to use the app again.
Earlier this year, Jade West ordered the food from the shopping app that sells surplus food at discount prices. She says she was so keen to get her hands on a surprise bag from her local Morrisons she ordered early on in the day
But after Jade collected her food later that evening, she said she was left disgusted at its contents. Inside, there was a variety of fruit and vegetables. This included three bunches of bananas that had turned black and appeared to have gone off
Jade also claimed a large head of cabbage had become discoloured. Other items
Other Too Good To Go users were outraged by Jade’s food bag. One person, called Claire Winfield said: ‘I don’t think it’s fair to give you rotten stuff.’
‘I know it’s only £3.09 but there’s still the time and effort to go [and collect it] as well as the cost of fuel,’ she said. ‘I know it’s a gamble but when the food is mouldy, ripped open and inedible it’s such a shame.
‘I’ve tried [Too Good To Go] a couple of times, and it’s really not been worth my time.
‘Also this wasn’t a last-minute purchase so they weren’t in an unexpected rush to get something put in a bag for me.
‘I’d ordered this quite early in the day for a 5.30pm collection.
‘This was my first and last Morrisons one as they usually sell out.’
Other Too Good To Go users were outraged by Jade’s food bag.
One person said: ‘I don’t think it’s fair to give you rotten stuff.’
Another fumed: ‘Not acceptable, they are using TGTG as a bin.’
Tiegan, from Cumbria, purchased the item in the hopes of receiving sweet treats and a good variety of food from the coffee shop giant
Elsewhere, an NHS worker was left in fits of laughter after she ordered her first-ever Too Good to Go bag from Starbucks and got an unexpected surprise.
Tiegan, from Cumbria, purchased the bag in the hopes of receiving sweet treats and other food from the coffee shop giant.
The bag set her back by £5.50 – which is around the cost of one hot food item at Starbucks – and she bought it from Lillyhall Service Station.
But the 22-year-old was left amused after peering into the bag and pulling out two identical sandwiches and four chicken Caesar wraps.
‘I bought my first-ever Too Good to Go bag from Starbucks and was left laughing after seeing what was inside the bag,’ Tiegan said. ‘In total, there were six items. Two ham sandwiches and four other items.
‘As I pulled one item out of the bag, it was a chicken Caesar wrap. I then pulled out another, then another, then another. It was like an endless supply of Caesar wraps.
‘Of course, I am aware Too Good To Go is food nearing its best-before date, but it’s also food they haven’t sold at the end of their shift.’
Altogether, the bag’s value came to around £25.60, meaning that Tiegan got more than £20 worth of food from Starbucks for free.
The Too Good to Go app lets you buy bags of leftovers from shops, hotels and restaurants in a bid to minimise food waste – but the contents are a mystery until you collect them
The 22-year-old was amused after peering into the bag and pulling out two identical sandwiches and four chicken Caesar wraps
TikTok users were quick to laugh along with the shopper and speak about their own experiences with the app
Despite not enjoying chicken wraps, the NHS worker saw the funny side. Tiegan said: ‘As a first-time buyer, reading the description for the surprise bag it states you could get a variety of paninis, sweet treats, bagels and juices.
‘So I thought “Oh that’s a good variety.” It made me laugh as I continued pulling out chicken wraps. The food definitely didn’t go to waste though and was thoroughly enjoyed.’
Another man slammed a ‘disgusting’ meal from Toby Carvery and claimed it was so bad he would not feed it to his dog.
Stephen Thompson requested two Thursday Starter Surprise bags from his local branch in Darlington, County Durham via Too Good To Go, which sells on branches’ surplus and unsold food.
However, Mr Thompson was less than impressed with his order once it arrived, claiming that even his dog would not touch it.
Posting to Facebook, he wrote ‘Toby Carvery’s new starter meal absolutely disgusting not worth the trip,’ accompanied by an image of four brown logs in a cardboard delivery container.
Stephen said that he initially thought the substance was meant to be pate, but was put off by its horrifying appearance.
A man was left shocked by the state of a Toby Carvery order after purchasing some items from delivery service Too Good To Go
Stephen Thompson placed the order on Thursday, requesting two Thursday Starter Surprise bags from his local branch in Darlington, County Durham via Too Good To Go
Speaking to Tyla, he said: ‘That’s got to have been the worst meal I’ve had in my life and I bought two. Feel like I’ve been robbed.’
However, he still attempted to eat the order – potentially out of sheer curiosity as much as anything else – adding: ‘I had to spit it out. Even my dog wouldn’t eat it.’
After being contacted by MailOnline, Toby Carvery refused to comment.
A spokesperson from Too Good To Go said: ‘At Too Good To Go, we’re committed to ensuring a positive experience for everyone who saves food with us, so we really value this feedback.
‘As Surprise Bags consist of surplus food, their contents can naturally be unpredictable. Although we can’t control which food items our partners ultimately include in Surprise Bags, we always provide our partners with clear guidance on meeting our quality standards and minimum value requirements.
‘If users feel these standards haven’t been met, we encourage them to contact our Customer Care team via the app so that we can investigate and offer a solution directly.
‘For those looking for inspiration, we share tips on how to store food to make it last longer, as well as creative recipes for using up surplus items, on our Instagram @toogoodtogo.uk. We’re here to help everyone make the most of their Surprise Bags, while contributing to the fight against food waste.’
