In an effort to eliminate food waste, Whole Foods has partnered with an app to give customers a steal of a deal on prepared meals — and social media users have some thoughts on the matter.
The “Too Good to Go” app is a surplus food marketplace that partners with local grocery stores to sell unused food that could go bad.
The trend has led to TikTok – specifically the bags offered at Whole Foods – for various finds in “mystery” purchases.
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Emily Gierke, 36, of Dallas, Texas, told Fox News Digital that she has used the Too Good to Go app several times after hearing about TikTok.
Gierke said she started buying the mystery food bags in June 2023 but only bought them five times because of the “treasure hunt” she bought.
Emily Gierke, pictured here, said she has ordered a bag of prepared food five times – and this latest time, she had interesting results. (Emily Gierke)
He said in the TikTok video that the bag of prepared food he bought was $9.99 and was supposed to include $30 worth of food.
“I got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, three containers of pizza cheese and five containers of pasta salad,” she told Fox News Digital via email.
Gierke received five containers of pasta salad in one bag. (Emily Gierke)
While disappointed in his purchase, Gierke said he has been happy with his purchases in the past – and with no food restrictions or allergies, he found this idea a good value.
“I can try new places or new things from places I’ve been to before for a lower price,” he said.
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Gierke jokes that even though pasta salad isn’t his favorite meal, the process helps him be creative in his food choices.
“Overall, the bag was a hit (but) this was a mistake,” he said.
Whole Foods’ “Too Good to Go” bag has gone viral on TikTok, with mixed reviews. (Lili Baiden; Emily Gierke)
But social media users commented on the video – and some had a different experience.
One TikTok user said of Gierke’s video, “One time I did this, I got a single ham. It was really annoying.”
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Another user said: “I’m so excited for my baking bag – got two. The bagels are moldy and the other cakes are long gone. Won’t be back.”
“We’ve found an innovative way to not only reduce food waste and reduce our environmental footprint, but offer quality food at a great value.”
Lili Baiden, 21, of Scottsdale, Arizona, told Fox News Digital that she is a full-time student at Arizona State University and struggles with the mystery bag because she is a vegetarian.
“Something interesting about bags is that you can’t manage them,” she said via email.
“For example, I’m a vegetarian – so I don’t eat the meaty stuff in my surprise bag.”
Lili Baiden, pictured here, said she ordered a bag of food prepared and a bag of bread to steal from the deal. (Lili Biden)
Baiden, who bought a bag of prepared food for $ 9.99 and a bag of bread for $ 6.99, said he was able to give some food to others and overall still loved the concept.
They also noted that all of the food in the Too Good to Go bags did not expire during the past week.
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“It’s great if you want a late night snack or need dinner and don’t want to spend a lot of money,” he said via email.
The Too Good to Go-Whole Foods partnership launched nationwide last month, with more than 450 Whole Foods locations donating excess food to “surprise bags.”
Baiden said his bag was useless because he was a vegetarian and couldn’t determine it before taking it. (Lili Biden)
Whole Foods has more than 500 grocery stores in the US and nearly 20 in Canada and the UK.
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Caitlin Leibert, vice president of sustainability for Whole Foods, told Fox News Digital that nearly 100% of Too Good to Go bags are sold.
“We know the most effective way to reduce food waste is to prevent it from happening in the first place,” he said.
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He added, “By teaming up with Too Good to Go, we have found an innovative way to not only reduce food waste and reduce our environmental footprint, but offer quality food at a great price.”
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Aislinn Murphy of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
