There is a connection between Mette Lykke’s childhood and her role as the chief executive of Too Good to Go, a company that calls itself “the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food.”
Founded in Copenhagen in 2015 by a group of entrepreneurs, the company is active in 19 countries and connects more than 100 million registered users with 177,000 food businesses to minimize food waste and mitigate climate change. Its partners include Whole Foods Market, Starbucks and ALDI supermarkets; small and family-owned businesses are also part of the mix.
Ms. Lykke, 43, grew up in rural Denmark with parents who taught her to waste as little as possible. On a bus ride in Copenhagen in 2016, through a chance encounter with a fellow rider, she learned about Too Good to Go and was compelled by its mission.
At the time, Ms. Lykke worked in technology start-ups. She became an investor, and the founders, knowing of her success developing a fitness app, Endomondo, and her commitment to their cause, chose her to lead the company as chief executive in 2017.
The organization reached its current size under Ms. Lykke’s leadership and continues to expand its reach. The following interview with her was conducted by video and through email.
Why should we care about food waste and its impact on the climate crisis?
Today, 40 percent of all the food produced globally is wasted. Imagine going to the supermarket, choosing your favorite products, paying for them and then tossing them aside just before you even get home. It’s baffling — and even more so when you realize the impact of this on a global scale.
Food waste is responsible for 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide — four times more than the entire aviation industry. Research done by Project Drawdown [a global guide for climate action] confirmed that reducing food waste is the most effective action individuals can take to help fight climate change.
Climate change isn’t just about emissions from rotting food in landfills. It’s also about the massive amounts of land, water and energy used to produce food that is never enjoyed. By saving just one pound of food, we can prevent around three pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, avoid the unnecessary use of 105 gallons of water and protect 15 square feet of land use per year.
Every bit of food saved from being wasted truly makes a big difference.
Can you share some examples of how Too Good to Go fights food waste?
Our Surprise Bag helps people rescue surplus food from local businesses at a third of its usual price. It’s available in thousands of locations worldwide. On our app, people can reserve Surprise Bags of this unsold food from local stores. Each bag has items such as produce and baked goods that the store couldn’t sell that day. So far, our users have saved over 350 million meals from going to waste.
Our Parcels aims to reduce food waste at the manufacturing level and is a service that delivers groceries from brands that couldn’t be distributed directly to consumers through the usual retail channels. [Consumers] have access to food at a reduced price while helping reduce waste early in the food supply chain.
These initiatives also help the consumers who buy the food, like the new Ukrainian immigrant to Belgium who wrote to us and told us that our Surprise Bags helped him eat well and make ends meet.
Tell me about Too Good to Go’s collaborations with small businesses.
More than half of our partners are small food suppliers. They find us through word of mouth and contact us directly. We also have a global network of employees and users who tell us about their favorite small food suppliers. It’s these smaller businesses where we can make a big impact, and the result of our efforts touches your heart.
A fishmonger in London wrote to thank us for helping him earn a little back on his unsold fish. A Jamaican restaurant owner in New York told me how meaningful it was to save the food she’d put so much work into, and the manager of a small grocery store in Copenhagen told me how proud she was to sell Surprise Bags to appreciative customers.
What have you learned about consumer behavior concerning wasting food? And what actions can we take to reduce our food waste?
I’ve learned that awareness is key. Many people don’t realize the environmental impact of wasting food. When consumers understand this, they’re more likely to change their habits.
There are actions we can take every day. Planning meals, reviewing expiration dates and planning to use perishables first, storing food properly and having some flexible go-to recipes for your surplus food like a pizza or a pie can make a big difference. Even looking, smelling and tasting before we throw food away helps us waste less.
The post Another Way to Keep Food Out of the Trash appeared first on New York Times.
