too good to go?

[Mad Murphy]

Is there anyone here who uses this app?

My daughter turned up with a brown paper bag about two weeks ago and told us it was a magic bag she had just collected.
Then she explained about the app which is about saving /reducing food waste.
Basically local shops collect all the fresh food that they would normally throw away because of sell by dates and they divide it into bags . You purchase a bag sight unseen and then collect it from the shop during a given time slot.

I must say Im impressed Ive collected two bags from the supermarket and one from my local baker so far and Im having great fun at thinking up meals based on whats in the bag ( a bit like the surprise bag on the cooking show Ready steady cook)...

I pay €5 for a supermarket bag and €4 from the baker with food worth at least 3 times that in each bag.

As an example yesterday I got 2 fish fillets, 5 chipolatas, 2 chicken filets, a pound of pre sliced potatoes, a bag of mixed veg a small bag of brussel sprouts, 4 organic kiwi fruit and a bottle of fresh fruit juice. The kiwis are in the fruit bowl, the juice I had for breakfast, tonight Im making the fish with potato gratin and sprouts. Tomorrow we will have the chipolatas for breakfast and Im making soup with the mixed veg. Ive frozen the chicken and I might have that on Sunday.

Its nice to know youre doing youre bit against food waste and it also has a very positive impact on my shopping bill.

 

[JudyN]

What a brilliant idea Though not for me, I'm far too fussy

I do worry though that a lot of what's in the bags may still end up being thrown away because the recipient doesn't like it or can't work out to do with it before it's too old, so I wonder if there's a better solution, e.g. giving it to homeless people, or letting people choose what they want.

 

[Mad Murphy]

@JudyN I hope that many people who use the app are like my daughter and I ...happy to explore new tastes and if something doesnt suit , swapping or giving to each other.

The problem with homeless people is that they often dont have kitchens to prepare fresh foods....

I know it cant go to the foodbank because its fresh and has to be used within 24/48 hours. They can't distribute it that quickly.

Choice would be nice I suppose but some people would just be greedy and grab all the fish or meat. This way everyone gets a bit of everything.

 

[JudyN]

Yes, all very good points, and this may well be the best solution for this food. I'd be terrible at Ready, Steady, Cook, I have to plan our meals in advance and shop accordingly, and I hate the whole Friday-evening 'What are we going to eat next week?' routine.

 

[niamh123]

The supermarkets around my area give the food to local charities who make meals for those who cannot afford to eat a balanced diet

 

[Mad Murphy]

The supermarkets around my area give the food to local charities who make meals for those who cannot afford to eat a balanced diet

Thats great if its possible. I used to work at a bakers we sliced bread that was not sold at the end of the day 4 days a week it went into a freezer and was sold on cheaply to students and others on low incomes who still wanted decent bread and not the nasty wallpaper paste stuff you get from cheap supermarkets . But two days a week Wednesday and Friday it was sliced and our local Salvation army collected it for the homeless