SPAR Austria has extended its partnership with food waste prevention app Too Good To Go to include all 700 SPAR and EUROSPAR stores in Austria and seven INTERSPAR Hypermarkets in Vienna and surrounding areas.
Customers can now use the Too Good To Go app to order food from SPAR Supermarkets that would otherwise be wasted at a reduced cost.
The move follows a successful trial in SPAR Gourmet stores, launched in August 2020 and extended to all SPAR Gourmet stores in February of this year.
It allowed shoppers in Vienna to order food packages via the Too Good To Go app and pick them up from SPAR Gourmet outlets.
SPAR Austria Board Member Hans K Reisch commented, "In our 50 trial stores, we have gained important experience in compiling and processing the bags. Our employees have been trained accordingly to ensure a smooth nationwide launch on 4 October."
Too Good To Go
The expansion makes SPAR the first food retailer in Austria to offer the SPAR Too Good To Go food packages across the entire country, the company noted.
The Too Good To Go food packages, also known as 'Magic Bags' comprise vegetables, fruit, dairy products, baked goods, and other items from the SPAR range.
The bags contain products worth at least €15, which can be purchased for €4.99.
In participating stores, the bags are prepared for pick up 30 minutes before closing time.
Reisch added, "All of our systems are designed to ensure the exact amount of products in-store are sold during the day. But even with the most precise planning and price reductions, some products are leftover. These are now added to the Too Good To Go 'Magic Bags.'"
Food Waste Prevention
The retailer has implemented several measures to prevent food waste, and its efforts have resulted in only 1% of food remaining unsold in its stores.
Some of these measures include precise ordering, faster and more precise logistics, and price reductions shortly before the best-before date.
SPAR Austria also donates surplus food to social markets, food banks, and other organisations that pick up goods one to five times a week.
SPAR has saved one million meals from being wasted across the world through its global partnership with Too Good To Go.
