Building Sustainable Food Systems with Digital Food-Sharing: Too Good To Go

Digital food-sharing platforms aim to combat food waste and requalify surplus food into valuable products. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize and explain how the functioning of digital food-sharing platforms can influence the development of a sustainable food system. Our analysis focuses on the Too Good To Go (TGTG) platform, examining its operations and functionalities, as well as results related to the amount of food saved and its environmental impact. Additionally, we analyzed the potential impact of TGTG in key areas of a sustainable food system, identified through a literature review: environmental sustainability, economic viability, social equity, health and nutrition, resilience, food governance, and innovation and technology use. Our findings indicate that the TGTG platform contributes to the development of sustainable food systems by reducing food waste, closing food loops, lowering CO₂ emissions, promoting sustainable food purchasing behaviors among consumers, improving the economic profitability of food sales, providing access to affordable food, and enhancing the system’s overall innovativeness. We recommend that, in order to strengthen TGTG’s role in advancing sustainable food systems, the platform should expand its cross-sector collaboration, promote local food producers and retailers, support healthy eating, and further develop its educational components.