Morrisons Expands Food Rescue Initiative with New Chilled Surprise Bags
Morrisons has expanded its sustainability partnership with Too Good To Go by launching Chilled Surprise Bags, offering surplus dairy, deli, meat, and seafood at half price. The initiative, now available in 25 London stores, contributes to a milestone of over four million meals rescued since 2019. The program also drives customer loyalty, with nearly half of users making additional in-store purchases.
Morrisons has launched Chilled Surprise Bags in 25 London stores as part of its ongoing sustainability partnership with Too Good To Go, offering surplus dairy, deli, meat, and seafood products at half price—typically £6 for items worth £12. This expansion marks a significant step in the initiative’s evolution since its inception in 2019, now contributing to a milestone of over four million meals rescued across the UK. The program is part of a broader range of Surprise Bags available nationwide, including Bakery, Fruit & Veg, Café, and Grocery options, with the partnership now active in 495 Morrisons supermarkets and select Morrisons Daily locations. The Chilled Surprise Bags are accessible via the free Too Good To Go app, where customers reserve bags within a time window and collect them in-store. Since 2019, the collaboration has redistributed more than £32 million worth of food and avoided over 10 million kg of CO₂e emissions.
The initiative reflects a strategic shift by Morrisons toward integrating food waste reduction with customer engagement and commercial gain. The company reports that nearly half of users who purchase a Surprise Bag make additional in-store purchases, generating an estimated £3 million in incremental basket spend this year. This data underscores the dual benefit of sustainability and revenue growth. Too Good To Go’s Chelsea Kerr emphasized the importance of expanding product categories to increase accessibility and impact, while Morrisons’ David Sco
This initiative could significantly influence consumer habits around food waste by normalizing the purchase of surplus goods at a discount, potentially shifting public perception of “imperfect” or near-expiry items as valuable. The success of the Chilled Surprise Bags may encourage other retailers to expand similar programs, especially in perishable categories where waste is high and margins are tight. The model demonstrates how sustainability efforts can align with profitability—nearly half of users making additional purchases suggests strong customer retention potential. A comparable earlier case is Tesco’s “Food Waste Reduction” pilot, which similarly used digital platforms to sell surplus food but faced challenges in scalability and consumer trust. Morrisons’ approach may be more effective due to its integration with an existing app ecosystem and proven track record. Moving forward, the key question is whether this model can maintain momentum beyond urban centers like London and ad