The Role of Too Good To Go in Addressing Food Waste in Sweden

Abstract: Food Waste is a global issue concerning the environment, resources, social justice and economy. Despite being so pressing, around one-third of food produced is discarded worldwide. Meanwhile, food waste is incredibly complicated, requiring collaborations of all stakeholders and various innovations. Too Good To Go (TGTG) utilizes technology to bridge consumers and food business and save food waste from ending in the bins. Exploring how TGTG contributes to food waste reduction and driving the sustainability transition of food chains in Sweden, this thesis employs a Multi-level Perspective (MLP) framework adapted for the food sector to analyze the roles of the relevant actors, their motives, the barriers and drivers for food waste prevention and reduction. A qualitative approach is conducted with the support of document reviews, qualitative data collected via interviews with TGTG and food business partners and an online survey of Sweden consumers. The main findings of the thesis show that TGTG helps fill the gap in food waste reduction left by the conventional food redistribution methods in an efficient, scalable and economical way. Like its strategy in other EU market, TGTG can contribute to driving consumer behaviours and industry standards through collaborations with business, education and legislators. Besides, biological treatment of waste has long been prioritized over prevention and redistribution. Governance on food waste in Sweden urgently needs to be put in place to remove the economic and regulatory barriers for addressing this issue. The public food service sector can be a focal area for the governments to push for progress.