SAVVY shoppers at one major supermarket can now bag a huge range of new food discounts at nearly 1,000 of its UK stores.
Asda has partnered with food waste platform Too Good To Go to offer its customers “surprise bags” which contain £9 worth of food for just £3.30.
Asda shoppers will be able to pick up a bag at nearly 1,000 shops across the UK[/caption]
The bags will include a variety of different items which are near their use-by date, such as salads, ready meals, baked goods and food to go.
Although the items are near their expiry date they are still safe to eat and would otherwise go to waste.
Customers will be able to purchase a bag at nearly 1,000 sites including Asda Express stores.
They can also be picked up at restaurants located inside Asda stores such as Leon, Greggs, Sbarro and Subway.
Bags from Asda Express, Greggs, Sbarro and Subway will vary in price depending on the contents but they could include breakfast food, lunch, cakes or pastries.
Leon fans will also be able to get their hands on a brand-new Surprise Bag offer which will feature cakes and pastries which would otherwise be wasted.
For £3.50 customers can get over £10.50 worth of treats that would otherwise have been thrown away.
To cash in on the deal shoppers will need to search for a nearby Asda supermarket or Asda Express store in the free Too Good To Go app.
Shoppers can also choose when they want to pick up their bag.
Sophie Trueman, country director at Too Good To Go UK and Ireland, said: “We’re so pleased to be extending our partnership with Asda, helping to combat food waste and provide great value to customers.
“We believe that saving food from going to waste is a win-win-win – businesses can recover the sunk cost of would-be wasted food, consumers can get good food for less, and with one simple action, we’re collectively doing something great for the planet by stopping that food from ending up in landfill.”
How does Too Good To Go work?
To use Too Good To Go you need to download its app on your smartphone and create an account.
You can then choose your area by entering your location and drop a pin on where you will pick up your surplus food bags.
There is an option to collect your food straight away or later for dinner.
You can also select the distance you are willing to travel based on whether you will be using public transport, walking or driving.
How to save on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
The app will then show you all the Too Good To Go locations in your area.
These are broken down into categories including supermarkets, baked goods and groceries.
You can scroll through the app to see what’s available and click “see all” to check the options in each category.
The app will tell you how much you can save with each surprise bag.
Prices usually range between £2 and £6 depending on the contents of the bag and shoppers usually save at least 30% on every order.
Once you have decided on what food you want to pick up you simply click on the “reserve” button which will ensure that it is assigned to you.
If you have added your payment method then you can simply click to confirm your reservation.
If you have not entered this information then you will be asked for your bank details when you place a reservation.
Once you have paid you will receive an email which will include an invoice and the time of your collection.
To pick up your food go to the shop at the assigned time and show your collection on the app to a member of staff.
Asda is not the only supermarket to be available on Too Good to Go.
Aldi customers can nab a surprise bag at one of the supermarket’s 990 stores across the UK.
The bags contain £10 worth of food for just £3.30 and can be reserved almost 24 hours before collection.
You could get anything from fruit and veg, dairy products, meat and snacks for a fraction of the normal price.
Meanwhile, Morrisons shoppers can buy a surprise bag from one of the supermarket’s 930 convenience stores.
The bags cost £3.09 and contain fresh produce and bakery items.
Other schemes to avoid food waste
Another scheme which gives you free or discounted supermarket food is Olio.
The app lists food from shoppers and supermarkets including Tesco and Waitrose which can be picked up by for free.
Often this food is unwanted or near its sell-by date.
To get started simply download the Olio app and enter your postcode to find free food available near you.
Yellow stickers are another great way to shave precious pounds off the cost of your supermarket shop.
Shops including M&S, Tesco and Morrisons apply yellow stickers to food items that are nearing their best-before date.
These can include sandwiches, baked goods and ready meals.
The stickers are applied by some supermarkets at set times while others will introduce them throughout the day.
Read our article to find out the exact time to find yellow sticker bargains at each supermarket.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
