– The prices here in Norway are absolutely wild. This gives me the chance to try different food for a cheaper price. The Vietnamese student Minh Ta stands with a glowing box of breakfast food in his hands. He has just been to Hotel Noreg in Bergen and picked up leftovers from the hotel breakfast. Through the app “Too Good to Go”, he has paid NOK 49 for food the guests did not want. – That it is good for the climate is just a bonus, he says. Minh Ta is a master’s student and will live in Norway for the next two years. He is happy to try new Norwegian food, but often thinks it can be expensive. Photo: Therese Pisani / news – Clear connection between prices This summer, Norway had a record price jump for food. Figures from the major food chains show that Norwegians have already changed their shopping habits, by being more concerned about price and planning their shopping trip more. The purchase of surplus food, or food that would otherwise be thrown away, has also increased. The app “Too Good to Go”, which sells surplus food for businesses all over the country, has never sold more than it does now. In August alone, they sold around 250,000 bags of food, according to daily manager Johan Ingmarsson. This is a 40% increase compared to the same time last year. – It is of course impossible to say for sure, but to us it looks like a clear connection between the rising prices, especially for food, he says. Took off after the school holidays The app “Throw no more” has also seen an increase in users recently. The app provides customers with an overview of discounted items in over 570 grocery stores in Norway. In the last few weeks alone, thousands of users have downloaded the app, says Sigrun Isene. – After the school holidays, usage increased sharply. We know that many people are concerned about the climate and the environment, but now it seems that more people are also concerned about the economy, she says. Customers are now more open to buying goods with a short shelf life than before, according to the app “Throw no more” and Coop Norge. Photo: Pål Tegnander / news – Unthinkable a few years ago, Knut Lunæs in Coop Norge said that more customers are buying goods that have been reduced in price due to a short shelf life now than before. – Just a few years ago, it was almost impossible to sell food at a reduced price. Now both customers and the shops are happy with the arrangement. According to him, it is often the expensive foods that are the most popular on the discount shelves. – A lot goes into meat products and cold cuts. It’s food that has a bigger climate footprint, which makes it extra nice that it doesn’t end up in the rubbish, he says. – Need more than one app Figures from 2020 show that 450,000 tonnes of edible food is thrown away in Norway every year. Ordinary consumers are behind around half of this. And even if rising food prices lead to more planned shopping trips, the Future in our hands is not rejoicing for that reason. – Expensive food is not a goal in itself. Nevertheless, one can take advantage of the unfortunate situation we are in by getting an overview of how much food is actually thrown away, says Embla Husby Jørgensen in the organisation. They have been working for a new food disposal law for several years, with the hope of reducing the amount of food that ends up in the rubbish heap. – The amount of food that is thrown away in Norway is staggering. It takes more than one app to get the number down, she says.
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Surplus food is becoming more and more popular – news Vestland
