World Food Day spotlight: School of Law graduate Jamie Crummie’s Too Good To Go tackles global food waste
The global app, Too Good To Go, is making waves in the food industry, helping reduce waste and connect consumers with affordable meals.
For this World Food Day we are spotlighting School of Law graduate Jamie Crummie (Law and Australian Legal Studies LLB, 2014) who is making waves with his world leading, food-saving app, Too Good To Go. The app is designed to rescue unsold food from businesses and prevent it from going to waste.
In an interview with the University of Leeds last year, Jamie talked about his inspiration for the app. It came during his study abroad in Australia when he witnessed the excessive amounts of food being thrown away at events and the potential damage it was causing.
Digging into the numbers revealed just how serious the problem was: “Forty per cent of food produced in the world is wasted at a cost of £20 billion per year,” he explained. “For context, the annual police budget in the UK is £2.5 billion.”
Shocked by the scale of the issue and learning that food waste contributes to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (Eurostat 2022), Jamie knew he had to take action. In 2016, he co-founded Too Good To Go.
With support from the University of Leeds’ SPARK programme, a free, award-winning service that helps University of Leeds’ students and graduates to start their own businesses. Jamie and his fellow co-founders developed an app that allows customers to purchase unsold food from restaurants and shops at a reduced price before it gets thrown away.
From School of Law student to social entrepreneur
Jamie was drawn to the study of law for its diverse skill set and its potential to create meaningful change. “I applied to study law because of the variety of skills the course demands from you,” he explains. As an activist, he sought a program that would equip him to be a voice for others and offer services that benefit society.
His choice of the University of Leeds was equally passionate. “I chose Leeds because it’s the greatest university in Europe! It’s a campus university within a vibrant and friendly city that has so much to offer. I also followed my sister up to Leeds after loving the place when I visited her.”
Reflecting on his experience at Leeds, Jamie shares, “I genuinely loved all of it. Six years later, I am still best friends with the mates I made at university – I even founded Too Good To Go with one of them.” He particularly valued his involvement in various societies, including Amnesty International and the Student Action for Refugees (STAR) group. He also highlights the community engagement programmes offered through the Law School, such as Learning with Partnerships, which allowed him to support inner-city primary schools.
When discussing his academic journey, Jamie notes, “I thoroughly enjoyed my course. My lecturers were great at provoking thought and encouraging debate, skills that have definitely benefited me and given me the confidence to start up my own social enterprise.” Jamie reflects on how his time at the School of Law has shaped him:
I was always set on a career in law, and this was my intention even during my LLM, but as many of my lecturers may tell you, the corporate ladder was never for me. The chance to start my own social enterprise that instils social justice and social inclusion as some of its core principles was too exciting an opportunity to turn down. My time at Leeds has given me the confidence and skill set to throw myself into situations I am not wholly familiar with.
His advice for students and graduates is simple: “Follow a career that makes you happy and proud of what you are achieving.”
A global solution to food waste
Since its launch, Too Good To Go has grown into a global success. As of October 2024, the app has over 100 million users in 19 countries and has saved more than 350 million meals from ending up in landfill.
Jamie’s journey from aspiring barrister to social entrepreneur was not always part of the plan. But after his experience in Australia, his focus shifted from law to food waste activism. “I’ve always been someone who challenges,” Jamie explained. Upon his return to the UK, he worked with a Leeds-based catering company repurposing surplus food into new meals. This experience solidified his determination to tackle food waste.
The app's success lies in its simplicity. Businesses list surplus food in "surprise bags" that customers purchase at a fraction of the price. “It’s a three-way win,” Jamie said. “The customer gets food at great value, the business reduces waste, and food waste is dramatically cut down, helping to protect the environment.”
However, the enterprise does more to tackle food waste beyond the app. The social impact company is expanding its B2B tech solution to tackle food waste across the supply chain but it is also an educational resource. Jamie and his team are advocating for systemic change, engaging with schools, governments, and environmental forums like COP conferences. They have even worked with the EU on advocating for stronger legislation around food waste. Most recently, Too Good To Go brought together a collective of food brands to campaign for mandatory food waste reporting in the UK.
Five ways you can reduce your food waste, by Jamie Crummie
As World Food Day draws attention to global hunger and food waste, Jamie’s Too Good To Go offers a timely reminder that tackling these challenges is not only possible but necessary. Here are some ways in which you can help:
- Only buy what you need to eat. Often, we do not eat all that we purchased. Life gets in the way of dinner time plans. Plan ahead, and try to only buy what you will need.
- Use the freezer. The freezer is effectively a pause button for freshness. Ensure the fridge and the freezer are running at the right temperatures to ensure food stays fresher for longer. That is 5 and -18 degrees Celsius respectively.
- ‘Look, smell, taste, don’t waste.’ Do not just judge food by the best before date. Too Good To Go’s ‘look, smell, taste don’t waste’ campaign encouraged people to check foods properly before throwing them away – and is part of their work with schools, industries and governments to build a planet friendly food system.
- Get creative in the kitchen. Find recipes which make the most of food you might throw away. From lemon rind to stale bread, there are countless ways we can make delicious meals from foods we would normally throw away.
- Use Too Good To Go to help rescue food that was destined for the bin.
Turn your passion into purpose! Like Jamie, you can make a real impact. With support like the SPARK programme, community engagement projects and career advising, the School of Law at the University of Leeds will equip you to create positive change. Apply today and start your journey!
