With grocery bills continuing to pressure households, a growing number of consumers are turning to digital tools to reduce costs. One initiative gaining traction is Too Good To Go, a food-waste app offering ‘Surprise Bags’ from supermarkets and restaurants at a fraction of the usual price.
The app’s collaboration with Asda has become particularly popular, enabling users to collect groceries worth up to £39 for just £4. The scheme is part of a broader shift towards sustainable shopping and reducing food waste across the UK.
Deep Discounts Through the Surprise Bag Model
Too Good To Go connects users with local stores and food outlets offering short-dated stock they are unable to sell at full price. Shoppers purchase a £4 ‘Surprise Bag’ via the app and collect it in person during an allocated time window, typically in the evening. The contents are not pre-selected by the user but often include bakery items, ready meals, produce, and deli goods.
According to Too Good To Go, nearly 1,000 Asda locations across the UK participate in the programme, including Asda Supermarkets, Asda Express branches, and in-store concessions such as LEON, Greggs, Sbarro, and Subway. These additional outlets also offer discounted food bundles via the same app, often enabling users to collect multiple Surprise Bags in a single visit.
In a typical example shared by a shopper in a Facebook bargain-hunting group, a bag containing approximately £39 worth of goods, including chilled meals, roast potatoes, salads and bread, was secured for just £4. The initiative does not rely on promotional codes or system errors, but rather a structured approach to tackling food surplus.
Growing User Base and Food Waste Impact
The app, free on iOS and Android, has become an increasingly popular tool among cost-conscious consumers and environmentally-minded users alike. According to feedback from testers and users shared on forums, best results are usually achieved by those willing to be flexible with pickup times and product variety.
Shoppers are encouraged to enable location access, set local favourites, and activate notifications to receive timely alerts when new Surprise Bags become available. Pick-up windows are often limited to late afternoons or evenings, and punctuality is essential, particularly for stores closing fresh food counters promptly.
Other platforms in the same space include Olio, which focuses on free food sharing between neighbours and businesses, and Gander, which displays real-time yellow-sticker reductions in participating supermarkets. Cashback apps such as Shopmium, GreenJinn, and CheckoutSmart also offer additional savings on branded products with receipt uploads.
