Convenience giant expands effort to combat food waste
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is expanding its partnership to prevent food from going to waste.
The convenience leader and Too Good To Go have announced the expansion of their partnership in North America and Europe, with the two companies aiming to have more than 9,000 Circle K and Couche-Tard stores across the United States, Canada, Ireland and Poland available on the Too Good To Go app by year-end. The move marks Too Good To Go's most extensive rollout to date.
Through the Too Good To Go app, customers can contribute to reducing the significant climate impacts of food waste by purchasing food that would otherwise be wasted at a discounted price. Daily, Circle K and Couche-Tard staff will inspect their food inventory for items nearing expiration and pack them into Too Good To Go Surprise Bags. There are more than 95 million Too Good To Go registered users across the Circle K and Couche-Tard geographic footprint.
"As we expand and refine our food offering globally, minimizing food waste is a priority for us – and the right thing to do both economically and environmentally," said Ina Strand, chief people officer and leader of sustainability efforts for Couche-Tard. "This partnership with Too Good To Go is a great complement to our continuous improvement efforts in our foodservice operations. Not only does it bolster our global sustainability commitments, but it's also an innovative way for our customers to try our delicious food at a great price."
Too Good To Go's partnership with Couche-Tard started in 2018 in Norway, later expanding to Denmark, Sweden and select markets in the U.S., Canada and Poland. Since then, Circle K and Couche-Tard customers have purchased roughly 1.3 million Surprise Bags, which the company says is the equivalent of avoiding 3,510,000 kgs of CO2 and the unnecessary use of more than 1 billion liters of water.
"Our collaboration with Couche-Tard has already made significant strides in the fight against food waste,” said Mette Lykke, CEO of Too Good To Go. “This expanded partnership elevates our ability to impact to unprecedented levels, reinforcing the crucial role of businesses in addressing global challenges.”
Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and mobility, operating in 29 countries and territories with more than 16,700 stores. Too Good To Go operates the world's largest marketplace for surplus food, with 95 million registered users and 160,000 active partners across 17 countries in Europe and North America.