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Woman having fun with her daughter while preparing salad in the kitchen.
Photograph: Supplied / Too Good to Go

The world's largest marketplace for surplus food is coming to Melbourne to fight food waste

Here's how you can make a difference (and save big on groceries)

Lauren Dinse
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Lauren Dinse
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The world’s largest marketplace for surplus food, Too Good To Go, is coming to Australia with an exclusive launch soon in Melbourne. The genius idea (the brainchild of a Danish-born social impact company) is a free mobile marketplace that retailers, restaurants, bakeries and cafés can use to sell their surplus food. It's currently active in 17 countries including the US, Canada, the UK and nations across Europe, with 90 million registered users. 

All you need to do is download the app, where you can order 'Too Good To Go Surprise Bags' full of delicious unsold food at half of the original price or less. It's a win-win situation for everyone. 

It's no secret that food waste is a massive problem across the globe. From bakeries shovelling unsold bread into bins at the end of the day to supermarkets throwing out fast-expiring stock, it's a heartbreaking sight. Especially when we think about the issues around hunger and food affordability facing disadvantaged communities – not to mention the harmful effect waste has on our climate.

In 2021, the National Food Waste Baseline reported that Australia produces 7.6 million tonnes of food waste per year. That's the equivalent of 312 kilograms per capita. Food waste also contributes to ten per cent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. According to research from Project Drawdown, reducing food waste is the number one action people can take to help tackle climate change. The launch of Too Good To Go will support the Australian government’s commitment to halve annual food waste by 2030.

For more details, check out the website and watch this space as more announcements unfold. Think you'd fancy working for a company like this that makes a real difference? Head to the careers page, as they're currently recruiting Aussie staff.

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