INDEPENDENT retailer Booths has announced it is rolling out a Too Good To Go scheme across all 27 of its stores, in a bid to reduce food waste.

The idea is that food close to its expiry date is bagged up and sold off cheaper as a 'surprise bag' rather than being thrown away. Shoppers simply have to download the free Too Good To Go App, search for the nearest Booths store in their area; reserve the desired number of Surprise Bags, and pick them up at a preset time of the day.

When the idea was piloted for two months the partnership saved 7,350 meals from the bin - this helped to avoid 18 tonnes of CO2e emissions, the equivalent of 83 flights from London to Berlin.

Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley and Ilkley and Parliamentary Under-Secretary for DEFRA met with the Too Good To Go team at Booths in Ilkley in support of the initiative.

Mr Moore said: “It’s terrible to see good food go to waste when it should be on people’s plates. That’s why I fully support partnerships between businesses like this one, which help to break down the barriers to surplus food redistribution.

“Industry-led initiatives can make a real difference on food waste - and are complemented by Government support for the redistribution sector, which has received nearly £13 million of Defra funding since 2018. In 2022, the equivalent of more than 404 million meals in surplus food was redistributed back on tables instead of ending up in the bin, thanks to the continued hard work of everyone involved in the sector, underpinned by Defra funding."

Nigel Murray, Managing Director at Booths said: “Managing and reducing food waste is a critical issue, and one we all have a part to play, both from a business perspective and within our own homes. We must all respect food, make the most of leftover produce and encourage good kitchen thrift. The Too Good To Go partnership helps enable Booths to reduce food waste while offering customers the chance to pick up great food and drink at a greatly reduced price.”

Jamie Crummie, co-founder of Too Good To Go, added: “Our team is absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Booths. At Too Good To Go, our mission is to empower and inspire everyone to fight food waste together and we’re delighted to help Booths to be a force for good, while doing good for businesses and consumers alike."