LAVAL, Quebec, and COPENHAGEN — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., a global leader in convenience and mobility, and Too Good To Go, the global social impact company behind the world's largest marketplace for surplus food, announced the expansion of their partnership in North America and Europe.
Taking a significant stride in the fight against food waste, the two companies aim 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, marking Too Good To Go's most extensive rollout to date.
"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, expanding in the years that followed to Denmark, Sweden and select markets in the United States, Canada and Poland. Since then, Circle K and Couche-Tard customers have been significantly reducing food waste, saving no less than 1.3 million Surprise Bags – the equivalent of avoiding 3,510,000 kgs of CO2e and the unnecessary use of more than 1 billion litres of water.
In this expansion, Couche-Tard and Circle K stores throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, and Poland will join the Too Good To Go Marketplace in phases by geographic Business Unit over the remainder of 2024.
"Our collaboration with Couche-Tard has already made significant strides in the fight against food waste. This expanded partnership elevates our ability to impact to unprecedented levels, reinforcing the crucial role of businesses in addressing global challenges," said Mette Lykke, CEO of Too Good To Go.
Through the Too Good To Go app, customers can effortlessly contribute to reducing the significant climate impacts of food waste.
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," adapting to the fluctuating surplus. Directly from the free mobile app on their phones, more than 95 million Too Good To Go registered users across the Circle K and Couche-Tard geographic footprint will have the chance to save good food from going to waste and enjoy it for half of the original price or less.
"Too Good To Go's proposition is a true Win-Win-Win solution: Businesses unlock value from their surplus and avoid food waste; at the same time, users enjoy great value for money, while making a real, tangible difference to help tackle climate change," said Lykke.
"On top of saving good food from going to waste at a great value for the money, our customers can now leave our stores knowing they've made a positive impact in the efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change," said Strand.