It’s truly a new idea, and it’s definitely a creative one. But is it really a viable solution to the problem of food waste at the retail level? Or does it really just shift the waste to our homes? Whole Foods is offering ‘Surprise Bags’ of aging foods…
Whole Foods’ Too Good To Go surprise bag program may be too good to be true…
The notion is, on its face, engaging. And it is definitely something new. But I have serious reservations about the concept of selling ‘Surprise Bags’ of foods approaching their expiry dates.
What they’re doing
Whole Foods is perhaps America’s best-known prestige food store. They have all the best stuff, at corresponding premium prices. But even they have one problem that all grocers face: what to do with products approaching their Best Before or Expiry dates.
Whole is now offering deeply discounted grab bags of packaged foods for just $9.99. The bags are guaranteed to contain a selection of products worth at least $30 at regular retail prices.
They’re also offering ‘bakery bags’ containing at least $21 worth of products including fresh bread, muffins, and scones for just $6.99.
‘Too Good To Go’
That’s not only the philosophy behind the program, it’s literally the name of a smart phone app designed to connect shoppers with restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops that want to clear (rather than throw away) leftover prepared foods at the end of the day.
That’s a win-win for both consumers and sellers. And it makes prefect sense. The Second Harvest movement is already, “working across the supply chain to rescue surplus food before it ends up in landfill.”
TGTG has partnered with Whole Foods to promote its Surprise Bags and point consumers to WF outlets offering them. The only drawback I can see is, you have to sign up for the TGTG app. You must order and pay for your WF grab bags via that service. But you pick them up at your usual WF store – presumably when you’re there anyway, doing your regular shopping.
Some observations…
Obviously, you have no control over what you get in your surprise bag. That’s the whole idea. And everybody loves a surprise. Right? The problem, as I see it, is that I could get a grab bag with nothing in it I want to eat. If I can’t give it away to friends or neighbours, it’s going into the landfill, anyway. The only party in the deal that’s guaranteed a win is the seller. The odds always favour the house.
Okay… So, I can hedge my bets by buying only the bakery bag. There wouldn’t be anything in that option that I wouldn’t want to eat, or couldn’t repurpose or embellish in an appetizing way. And I could freeze anything I wouldn’t be eating within the next couple of days. But that’s small comfort…
My take
I don’t have a food budget that allows me to indulge in premium foods. Much less play grocery roulette with ‘surprise bags’.
And freedom of choice is really important to me. I have always felt that eating is equally about nutrition and enjoyment. I want to have things I like, when I have a hankering for them. I don’t want to rely on surprise bags of food to provision my regular day-to-day needs. I already feel I’m being manipulated maliciously by the supermarket industry – perhaps even in sneaky ways I haven’t realized, yet.
So… Forget Whole Foods’ new take on tackling food waste. It’s a flawed concept, at best. And at worst, a cynical way to shift food waste from it’s plate to mine. While making me pay for it.
~ Maggie J.