Brian Dillon, an audience writer, spent a working week living off Too Good To Go surprise bags, spending £15.58 in total. He found the experiment offered incredible value for money but came with a lack of control over his diet.
Too Good To Go is an app that lets users buy mystery bags of unsold food from local businesses before they close. The bags are filled with whatever did not sell that day. Dillon, already a fan of the app, decided to test how realistic it would be to live day-to-day on these surprise bags, from Monday to Friday.
Generous Amounts, But Dietary Challenges
There were clear benefits and drawbacks to the experiment. Dillon was struck by the generous amount of food in each bag but had to accept eating some items a day after their use-by date. He noted that with caution and common sense, it was possible to detect if something was truly stale.
However, managing his diet, including fibre and protein intake, went out the window, which at times led to lower energy levels. Overall, the experience opened his eyes to the food that gets thrown away and how cheap it can be to live off these unsold items.
Official sources state that the UK produces around 10 million tonnes of food waste every year. While most comes from households, the number also includes waste from cafes, restaurants, and supermarkets. Food left to rot contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, and food produced only to be discarded wastes natural resources.
A Week of Surprise Meals
Monday began with porridge and fruit before the experiment started. Dillon secured a £3.90 bag from the Sandero café, which included two tuna bagels, a ham and cheese toasted sandwich, a brownie, a cinnamon muffin, and a pot of overnight oats. He had the toastie for lunch, the brownie with coffee, and the two tuna bagels for dinner.
Tuesday involved forward planning, with a £4.99 grocery bag from a small M&S store. It contained triple-cooked chips, a six-pack of pork sausages, trifle-flavoured chia pudding, watermelon, a ham and cheese sandwich, and a vegan hoisin wrap. Breakfast was the chia pudding, lunch the sandwich, and dinner was sausages and chips.
Wednesday brought a £3.30 bag from Aldi with a wide range of items, including mini cheese and garlic pizza bread, microwave liver and bacon with mash, peri peri chicken with rice, raspberries, sushi, and sweet and sour chicken. Dillon was lucky that several items were freezable.
Unexpected Finds and Final Conclusions
Thursday's £3.39 bag from Zapp, an online delivery service, included a wagyu steak, a jar of muhamara spread, four loaves of Gail's bread, banana yoghurt suckies, and Warburton's protein bagels. Dinner was the wagyu steak with toasted Gail's bread and muhamara spread.
Friday saw the final items, including protein bagels with muhamara spread, sweet and sour chicken, and the bacon and liver with mash. The last item was a banana yoghurt suckie, marking the end of the experiment.
In conclusion, Dillon spent £15.58 and had food for his whole working week and then some. While he would be inclined to use the app more, he stressed it is not something to live off and is not designed to be. He used his own bread and vegetables to ensure some fibre. A Too Good To Go bag is a good complement to weekly shopping, especially with freezer space, and the experience opened his eyes to the fact that not everything has to be the freshest it can be.
