🌱 Measuring the impact of food-sharing platforms
Featuring Olio, Too Good To Go, Flashfood and more
We’re back! After our fortnight off we are feeling refreshed, energised and ready to dive into some juicy topics.
If you haven’t heard of food-sharing apps then today’s newsletter might be an eye-opener in more way than one! While those of us who know them well are digging into our Gail’s goodie bag from Too Good To Go, Katherine has been digging into their impact reports and has plenty of insights to share.
Spotted something missing? Even though we haven’t been posting over the past two weeks, it doesn’t mean that good news hasn’t been popping onto our radar! Next week we will be sharing more in our edition of The Good(s) News than ever… so keep an eye out.
> In Focus
From Surplus to Supper: The Impact of Food-Share Platforms
As we approach International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction on the 29th of September - yes there is such a day! - we thought it appropriate to highlight this global issue and shine a light on the organisations addressing it. Globally, 13.2% of food produced on farms—amounting to 1.2 billion tonnes annually—is lost before reaching the retail stage. Additionally, 19% of the remaining food is wasted at the consumer, retail, and food service levels. To put this into perspective, the food lost on farms each year is more than four times enough to feed the undernourished global population.
When I moved to the UK, a friend introduced me to Too Good to Go, where she grabbed surprise meals at a fraction of the price from local cafes. It soon became my go-to for indulging my inner child with what felt like a food lucky packet. I quickly realized these platforms were not just about affordable food - they’re a real solution to food waste. With that in mind, let’s tuck into how platforms like Too Good to Go and Olio are tackling the issue and measuring their impact.
Too Good To Go: Quantifying landfill savings
Founded in Denmark in 2015, Too Good to Go (TGTG) partners with restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets to sell unsold food at a discount, rather than let it go to waste. Operating in 18 countries, the platform has saved over 330 million meals equivalent to avoiding 2.7 kilograms of CO2 emissions per meal. In 2023 alone, 121 million meals were saved, avoiding 362,169 tons of CO2e.
But just how have they calculated these figures? Initially, they measured their environmental impact by calculating the average emissions from wasted food and then scaled this to reflect the number of meals saved. To improve the accuracy of these figures, they’ve since partnered with Blonk Consultants. A report produced with this partner compares the emissions involved in food going to waste vs. being saved by TGTG. For the food wasted, this includes the emissions from transport from retailer to end of life facility (e.g. landfill site); whereas the food saved includes the emissions from the packaging and transport of the TGTG packet to the end consumer. We won’t get numbers-focused right now, but if you want a deeper dive into the methodologies you can find them here!
Not only are small eateries getting involved, but big names like Pret a Manger, Morrisons, and Costa Coffee are also using the platform to reduce waste. With a clear mission of helping reduce food waste, their next development is their Too Good to Go Platform which allows businesses to automate their expiry date management systems.
Olio: Sharing food, building communities
Another platform making waves is Olio. Founded in 2015, Olio connects neighbours and local businesses with each other, to share surplus food for free, preventing it from going to waste. With over 8 million users and 184 million portions shared, Olio has helped avoid 206,000 tonnes of CO2e.
To measure their environmental impact, Olio calculated average water avoided and GHG emissions factors that assume one item shared is equivalent to one item not being produced. They don’t take into account carbon leakage (the change in emissions which may have occurred from the program, but is outside their system boundary) nor rebound effects - if the money saved from using Olio was then used on other activities with associated carbon emissions.
Olio has partnered with large brands like Tesco and Planet Organic to redistribute surplus items, particularly through its “Food Waste Heroes” initiative, which engages volunteers to collect and distribute unsold food.
Global reach of food sharing platforms
In the U.S. and Canada, platforms like Flashfood and Food Rescue US follow similar models. Flashfood partners with grocery chains like Loblaws and Meijer, offering near-expiry food at a discount, whereas. Food Rescue US recovers surplus food and distributes it to hunger relief organisations through volunteers.
These food-sharing platforms are reshaping how we tackle food waste. By connecting consumers, businesses, and communities, they offer a simple, impactful way to reduce the environmental footprint of wasted food. For fast-moving consumer goods brands, there's a clear takeaway: we live in a numbers-driven world, and quantifying your impact is essential.
Too Good to Go and Olio have shown how powerful data can be in measuring and communicating their environmental contribution. Whether you're just starting your sustainability journey or refining your strategy, it's crucial to know where to begin and how to sharpen the accuracy of your metrics.
> Follow up with…
Resource: The Global Farm Loss Tool, WWF
Database: Foodprints Calculators, Earthday.org
> In case you missed it
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Much love,
Team FTF
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