Too Good to Go is new food app that aims to curb food waste, offer lower costs for some
MIAMI -- Sharing food while also keeping surplus food from the dump can now also help some people better afford to eat.
"I love chocolate," said Percy Berger, owner of Chocolate Fashion Bakery. "I love pastries."
That love is what started it all and what's kept the bakery a Coral Gables staple for almost 20 years.
"Today there's more demand, there's more people, before back at the time they know about good bakers, but they don't buy it a lot," Berger said. "They buy what they need, but today we have more people."
Customers will buy large quantities, so Persy bakes a little extra, which can sometimes result in leftovers.
But a new mobile app named Too Good to Go that launched in Miami and Fort Lauderdale is aimed at saving money and curbing food waste. Experts say curbing food waste is more important now than ever because of environmental concerns.
"As food prices increased we would expect that people would tighten up on how they're managing their food and waste less," said Kathryn Bender, a professor of economics at the University of Delaware.
She and other researchers found that household food waste on the United States is growing despite rising costs.
"It was a 280 percent increase from 2021 to 2022," Bender said. "We have seen that number come down but it's still an increase overall in food waste."
It can not only be a waste of money but the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates up to 40 percent of the food supply is wasted, which translates to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food.
So with the app, leftovers are offered up to 50 percent off to buyers.
"What we want to do is ensure any food where it occurs isn't' getting thrown out," said Sarah Soteroff, spokesperson for Too Good To Go. "if those who are on the app can donate it, we encourage" that.
But sometimes there's often a barrier, pantries often request large quantities or unprepared foods.
"We bake fresh everyday," Berger added.
Berger does her best to keep waste down but even with the best of planning it happens, now there's hope more of it will stay out of the trash bin.
