Magic Box against food waste

Consumers can buy a Magic Box from retailers with the app Too Good To Go. The Magic Box is full of food products that would have been thrown away. The buyers consume 90% of the content of the box, according to research by Wageningen University & Research. This shows that Too Good To Go is an effective concept against food waste.

How it works

Shops can offer all kinds of (fresh) food that is still perfectly usable but can no longer be sold the next day, via Too Good To Go in a Magic Box. The buyers pay one third of the normal price for the Box. Quantitative research conducted among 600 Too Good To Go users has shown that reducing food waste is the most important motivation to participate (35%). Another motivation is the surprise effect (26%) and of course the reduced price (20%). If anything of the Magic Box remains, only 8% of the respondents throw it away. They often share leftovers with family and friends, use them the next day or freeze them.

Positive stimulus

"Too Good To Go manages to approach consumers in a positive way. Convenience and fun are important for lasting success," says Sanne Stroosnijder, Business Development Manager Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, part of Wageningen University & Research. "We have also seen this in previous studies on consumer behaviour and ICT tools on the prevention of food waste, such as in the EU project REFRESH. What's more, with this box they can immediately see how much food they have 'saved' from being wasted."

Image: Too Good To Go