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UNFI to extend reach of Too Good To Go program

Distributor to bring food rescue app to grocers in more cities

Russell Redman

May 10, 2022

3 Min Read
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Too Good To Go is currently available to UNFI retailers in such markets as New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Portland, Ore.Too Good To Go

Grocery distributor United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) is expanding its partnership with food waste reduction app Too Good To Go into more markets.

A certified B-Corp, New York-based Too Good To Go provides an app that gives consumers access to an online marketplace of surplus food that would otherwise be discarded by grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries and other merchants. UNFI said Tuesday that, since piloting the app in its Atlantic region, Too Good To Go has become one of the fastest-growing solutions available to retail customers through its UNFI Professional Services arm, with the number of grocers offering the program nearly doubling after the first year.

Currently, Too Good To Go is available to UNFI retailers in selected cities nationwide, including New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Portland (Ore.), and plans call for the program to roll out to the distributor’s customers in additional cities this year, UNFI reported.

“A core value underpinning UNFI’s ESG [environmental, social and governance] priorities is our long-standing commitment to doing what’s right for people and the planet while working to assure a safe and nutritious food supply for everyone,” UNFI Chief Growth Officer Matt Whitney said in a statement. “We embrace the opportunity to use our expertise, influence and scale to be a force for positive change within the food system, and we strive to help retailers implement simple solutions that make a real, lasting impact.”

Related:Farmstead prompts customers to ‘Eat This First’

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Via the Too Good To Go app, consumers can browse soon-to-expire and surplus food from grocers and purchase it at substantially reduced prices for store pickup.

 

The Too Good To Go mobile app connects people with businesses that have extra food so it can be eaten instead of wasted. When grocers have soon-to-expire or surplus food, they bundle it into “surprise bags” offered at significantly reduced prices. Shoppers reserve the bags using the Too Good To Go app and then are alotted a time window to pick up the food at the store. Providence-based UNFI said consumers benefit by getting good food at “greatly discounted” prices, and businesses benefit by reaching a new customer base while recovering the cost of food earmarked for a landfill.

In the process, both consumers and merchants also help fight climate change and food insecurity. UNFI in 2020 set goals to halve food waste in its distribution centers by 2025 and eliminate all waste to landfills from DC operations by 2030.

“We are excited to work with UNFI to expand our ability to save more food by connecting our users with uneaten, extra products at independent retail stores,” commented Tyler Simmons, head of U.S. key accounts at Too Good To Go. “By working together, we can help ensure delicious food doesn’t go to waste. That’s a big win for people, businesses and our planet.”

Related:SpartanNash expands Flashfood partnership to reduce food waste

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UNFI customer Green Zebra Grocery sells Too Good To Go bags containing $15 worth of food for $4.99.

For example, UNFI said wholesale customer Green Zebra Grocery in Portland, Ore., fills its Too Good To Go bags with prepared food as well as bread, dairy products and produce at the peak of freshness, offering $15 worth of food for $4.99. According to the distributor, 99% of Too Good To Go users have given their experience an average of four out of stars.

“Our customers love getting fresh, healthy food at drastically reduced pricing through the Too Good To Go program, and we feel good about reducing food waste,” stated Lisa Sedlar, founder and CEO of Green Zebra Grocery. “The more natural and organic food that gets consumed by our community members, the better.”

North America’s largest publicly traded grocery distributor, UNFI operates nearly 50 distribution centers and supplies more than 30,000 retailers in the United States and Canada, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, e-commerce retailers and foodservice providers.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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