A new app has launched today in Sydney with its sights set on fighting food waste. Foody Bag works by connects restaurants, bakers and cafes with customers who want to save on unsold stock while doing their bit to help the planet.

The platform allows users to search for bargains in their area, purchase their bag in-app, and select a collection time. By connecting directly with retailers, you can save up to 60 percent (sometimes more!) on goods that would otherwise go straight into the bin.

Foody Bag is the brainchild of founder Stuart Kidd, an app developer who began brewing the concept in 2019 in his hometown of Perth. Inspired by similar Europe-based apps – like Too Good To Go which recently launched in Melbourne – Kidd saw his opportunity to help with our massive food waste problem.

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Since launching in Perth in 2021, Foody Bag has steadily gained momentum, with retailers coming on board in Brisbane and from June 5, Sydney. 

Initially aimed at helping bakeries give their pastries and loaves a second life, the app is now open to any business that wants to reduce their waste.

Systems like Foody Bag and Too Good To Go are attracting a rapidly increasing number of users as we wade through endless cost-of-living pressures. Consumers are also becoming increasingly mindful of food waste, its contribution to climate change, and the sheer quantity of perfectly good produce that goes uneaten every year.

According to the Foodbank Hunger Report last year, around 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food that is produced but goes wasted. In Australia, that equates to 17.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. 

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Australia also produces enough food to feed every resident three times over, yet 3.7 million households struggled to put a meal on the table in 2023. This staggering problem is costing the Australian economy around $36.6 billion annually, even though 70 percent of our food produced is completely edible.

We wouldn’t exactly call it “sustainable practice”, so it’s great to see platforms like Foody Bag giving us a solution at the touch of a button.

Download Foody Bag for free in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

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