Ikea customer helps avoid food waste with To Good To Go – Customer First

IKEA offers leftovers from the restaurant and Swedish delicacies – such as balls – at lower prices. Nearly a third of all food items worldwide are discarded or lost – which is why Ikea is tackling this problem. The collaboration with Too Good To Go, which combats food waste, aligns with Ikea’s sustainable ambitions.

Widely
IKEA is not just a store of household items, the company also sells food and drinks on a large scale. Each year, more than 600 million people around the world buy food from IKEA – realizing that even small changes can make a big impact. The partnership with Too Good To Go contributes to the goal of reducing food waste in Ikea stores worldwide by 50% by the end of 2022. In addition, the store wants to offer more vegan products. For example, Ikea Food introduced Varldslok, a vegetarian ground beef, in 2021. Ikea wants its hot plate range to be made up of 50% plant-based products by 2025. Currently it’s 43%.

Marcel van Gegen, Country Food Director at Ikea Netherlands, said: “We have been working hard for some time to combat food waste in our restaurants. For example, an artificial intelligence system has been implemented in kitchens ensuring that we can reduce food waste by more than 45% on average. Together with Too Good To Go, we are taking another important step and we can make people happy with the meals left at the end of the day.

Very good to go app
In the Too Good To Go app, users can see if they can order and collect remaining meals and other food items at the Ikea in their area. Orders can be collected close to closing time and to avoid unnecessary waste, customers are asked to bring their own packaging or storage container. All 13 Dutch IKEA stores participate in the initiative. After Norway, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium, the Netherlands is the eighth country where Ikea collaborates with Too Good To Go.

Geertje Zegers, Country Director of Too Good To Go, Netherlands: “I am delighted to see that Ikea, as the first home furnishing store on our platform, prioritizes reducing food waste. From now on, we hope to be able to make a good contribution to achieving their goals with Too Good To Go. I’m sure users of our app can’t wait to help Ikea save their signature products and meals.”

This not only satisfies the customer’s hunger but also makes him feel satisfied.
(PvWK)