Too Good To Go unveiled the "Observe, Smell, Taste" initiative, a pioneering awareness project that kicks off with the official campaign under the motto "It Makes Sense to Use Your Senses" and aims to help Portuguese people interpret and distinguish the differences between the expiration dates of food products.

The initiative also allows brands the opportunity to play a more active and present role in this joint education and awareness process regarding food waste. Therefore, Too Good To Go invites brands to publicly express their intention to change, in this case, by adding the new seal with the message "Before you throw away – Look, Smell, Taste" to the labels with the minimum durability date of their products.

The project will be gradually implemented in all countries where the company operates and is already having a positive impact in England, Switzerland, Germany, France and Austria, now assuming the same prospect of success in the national market, where it already has 14 brands involved in this initial phase.

Partner Brands

The brands involved – Diese, Beesweet, Lacticínios das Marinhas, Branca de Neve and Espiga da Fábrica Lusitanas, Saborosa, GoGo SqueeZ and A Vaca que Ri da Bel, Montiqueijo, Quinta dos Jugais, Ferbar, El Mandarin, Pantagruel da Imperial and Hellmanns da Unilever – will add this new label developed by Too Good To Go to products with an expiration date, reminding consumers that, before throwing away the product, they should use their senses.

It is possible to start seeing these products – with a minimum durability date – for sale, already bearing this new label, between April 2021 and January 2022.

“ For a brand like Too Good To Go, whose purpose is to combat food waste, the urgency of educational initiatives that translate into practical and scalable tools, such as our app and now this new label, is a priority. The need to implement this project in several countries where Too Good To Go operates stems from the fact that, according to the latest data from the European Commission, 53% of consumers do not know the meaning of the different labels ,” says Madalena Rugeroni, head of Too Good To Go Portugal and Spain. “ The consequence is approximately 8,8 million tons of food wasted per year in Europe. These are numbers we cannot ignore ,” Madalena Rugeroni further emphasizes.

Awareness seal

The message is that, before discarding food with a best-before date label – “Best before” or “Best before end” – if the product has been stored correctly, you should observe and check if it looks good, smell it and verify that it retains its usual odor, and finally, taste it and check if there is any change in flavor. If the food passes these three simple tests, it means that it remains safe to eat and can be consumed.

The sensory test should not, however, be applied to products with a "use by" date. This new label will not be added to this type of product.

Personalities who support the initiative

To reinforce the importance of the message to the public, Too Good To Go invited several personalities who share the same mission and whose gastronomic experience and reputation are already well-known and beloved by the Portuguese public. Names like Henrique Sá Pessoa, Cátia Goarmon (Tia Cátia), and Marlene Vieira join Too Good To Go to help bring this message to all Portuguese kitchens.

Henrique Sá Pessoa states that “ simply observing, smelling, and tasting are daily instincts that we apply and that can save so much food waste. I have always fought and continue to fight to make the most of everything that enters my kitchens, trying not only to make the best use of the ingredients, but also to avoid wasting them. Read the labels of what you buy carefully and use your instincts; the planet will thank you.”