With so much surplus food being thrown away, and the pressure on soup kitchens and food banks to help those in need at breaking point, 40 Madeiran restaurants have joined the new ‘Too Good to Go’ app which allows people to order food at lower prices from restaurants, hotels and supermarkets.

To date, food waste in Portugal is around a million tonnes per year, and with the new app, which has been up and running since the 29th of October in Lisbon ‘waste warriors’ hope that more surplus food will end up being consumed rather than thrown away.

All you need to do is download the app (available for iOS and Android ), find out which establishments are close to you, select your meal, pay and collect the order at the indicated time. Food sold has to be in excellent condition and covers breakfast, lunch and dinner, all of which are priced between €2 – €5. In a statement, a company spokesperson said that the most important thing is that you are preserving the environment, reducing food waste and carbon emissions, as well as providing those on low incomes the opportunity to purchase good quality, wholesome food.

The company, Too Good To Go, was created in Copenhagen in 2016, and uses the concept of a “surprise box:” so when you order your meal you won’t know what it is until it arrives.  This is why the prices are so low. Users will pay up to three times less than the real value of the meal, so if the box contains a meal worth €10 euros in total, the customer will only pay approximately €3.   Meanwhile, all those who are part of the ‘community of establishments’ are asked to create as many diverse meals as possible.