After a successful trial in SPAR Gourmet stores, SPAR Austria and social impact company Too Good To Go have expanded their food waste reduction partnership to all 700 SPAR and EUROSPAR stores in Austria and seven INTERSPAR Hypermarkets in Vienna and surrounding areas. As of 4 October, customers can use the Too Good To Go app to order food from SPAR Supermarkets that would otherwise be wasted at a reduced cost.

Trials in selected stores since 2020

Since August 2020, customers have been able to order the SPAR Too Good To Go food packages, named ‘Magic Bags’ on the app and pick them up at a SPAR Gourmet store in Vienna. Since February, the cooperation has been expanded to include all SPAR Gourmet stores.

“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”, said SPAR Austria Board Member Hans K. Reisch.

First retailer in Austria to cooperate nationwide

About 700 SPAR and EUROSPAR stores, and selected INTERSPAR Hypermarkets in Vienna and surrounding areas, have joined the initiative. Numerous independent SPAR retailers have been on board from the start. This makes SPAR the first food retailer in Austria to offer the SPAR Too Good To Go food packages across the entire country.

Too Good To Go ‘Magic Bags’

The Too Good To Go food packages at SPAR stores consist principally of fresh food products, including vegetables, fruit, dairy products, baked goods, and other items from the SPAR range. The bags have a value of at least €15 and can be purchased for €4.99. The bags are ready to be picked up in store 30 minutes before closing time.

“All of our systems are designed to ensure the exact right amount of products instore are sold during the day. But even with the most precise planning and price reductions, some products are left over. These are now added to the Too Good To Go ‘Magic Bags’”, said Hans K. Reisch. The exact content varies daily depending on which products are left over.

Milestone in food waste reduction

Thanks to precise ordering, faster and more precise logistics, and price reductions shortly before the best-before date, only 1% of the food on offer at SPAR Austria stores is not sold before its sell-by date. Some food products are donated to social markets, food banks, and other organisations that pick up goods one to five times a week. The nationwide cooperation with Too Good To Go is an important milestone in tackling food waste.

Source: SPAR Austria

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About SPAR Austria

The origins of SPAR in Austria date back to 1954, but the current SPAR AG was created in 1970 when the original founding families joined with other regional wholesalers to form SPAR Austria AG – a 100% privately owned Austrian company.

With licences granted by SPAR International, ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) has developed SPAR in Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Northern Italy. With sales of €8.3 billion and impressive growth of 16%, SPAR Austria became the market leader in the Austrian grocery trade during 2020, after being a market growth leader for over a decade.