Too good to go bags

[Stokey Sue]

Pea and lettuce soup (peitits pois à la Francois in soup form) is classic

[Badger's Mate]

Blanched lettuce with soy or oyster sauce is a good, quick dish for a Chinese meal.

[Ameew]

It’s more the type of mixed leaves like frisee, endive etc so not really suitable for braising .

Pea and lettuce soup sounds good though … and I have some fresh mint growing on the windowsill . That’s what I like about the bags , helps you get creative with a random assortment of items

[mistakened]

I know of several people on a different FB site who rely on these type of bags. They do not qualify for food banks but have to feed teenagers on a limited budget. One was particlully pleased with some Greggs Sausage rolls.

[halfateabag]

This is my kind of thread ! Lidl sometimes have mixed boxes o F&V on the shelves where you pack your bags from the tills £1.50 and a great selection of items. I hate any kind of food waste so have been very inventive over time. Bargains are for all ! !

[PatsyMFagan]

The only time I saw one of those boxes at Lidl, I thought it was a full of veg being thrown out . I understand the intention, but I wouldn't have wanted what was in there even if they were giving it away. It was more than a few days out of date

[Rainbow]

This is my kind of thread ! Lidl sometimes have mixed boxes o F&V on the shelves where you pack your bags from the tills £1.50 and a great selection of items. I hate any kind of food waste so have been very inventive over time. Bargains are for all ! !

But some people have to rely on bargains to survive

[Suffs]

This is my kind of thread ! Lidl sometimes have mixed boxes o F&V on the shelves where you pack your bags from the tills £1.50 and a great selection of items. I hate any kind of food waste so have been very inventive over time. Bargains are for all ! !

But some people have to rely on bargains to survive

Exactly Rainbow
When DD has been unable to work for a week because of bad weather or car breakdown, or a well-heeled customer ‘forgetting’ to pay her … she and her hardworking OH can find the ‘bargain basement’ shelf at Lidl a real life saver … it can mean the difference between them sharing a tin of beans on toast for their main meal to her being able to cook a proper highly nutritional meal as needed by her OH who has a health condition.
It rather rankles when she sees her well-heeled customers scrabbling through the bargains when she knows they have several foreign holidays a year and drive cars that cost more than most couple’s’ combined annual salary.

[Uschi]

What with the way AI is slashing wages for people like Axel and I, we are happy to avail ourselves of those bargains. There are usually plenty of veg rescue bags, too, so I am not ashamed to take one, once a week. The only thing that was unsalvagable this week was a packet of slimy rucola. The raspberries were wonderful and in perfect condition, as were the herbs and the other veg.

[mistakened]

Suffs, I completely agree with you, as I previously mentioned I read of families who rely on RTC to top up the family food shop.
I do not know why but there is no such system in Cyprus, one shop I visit actually lets vegetables age on the shelf rather that reduce the price.
To their credit Lidl are the only firm that seem to reduce items nearing their sell by date.

Moira

[Earthmaiden]

I haven't seen the reduced greengrocery bags much. At the times I go shopping the space is usually empty. I did pick one up once when there were loads and no-one was even looking at them (it was wonderful and contained things I considered luxuries, I was certainly grateful).

We have quite a few schemes in the town with supermarkets, the Salvation Army, community fridges etc, where people with little or no food have a chance to pick up something and these chains are growing and improving thanks to an ever growing band of volunteers. I'm afraid I'm still an avid rtc shopper for fish and meat, I hate to think it might go to waste and it's still not very cheap (even though I appreciate that farmers and fishermen earn every penny they get).

[Rainbow]

This is my kind of thread ! Lidl sometimes have mixed boxes o F&V on the shelves where you pack your bags from the tills £1.50 and a great selection of items. I hate any kind of food waste so have been very inventive over time. Bargains are for all ! !

But some people have to rely on bargains to survive

Exactly Rainbow
When DD has been unable to work for a week because of bad weather or car breakdown, or a well-heeled customer ‘forgetting’ to pay her … she and her hardworking OH can find the ‘bargain basement’ shelf at Lidl a real life saver … it can mean the difference between them sharing a tin of beans on toast for their main meal to her being able to cook a proper highly nutritional meal as needed by her OH who has a health condition.
It rather rankles when she sees her well-heeled customers scrabbling through the bargains when she knows they have several foreign holidays a year and drive cars that cost more than most couple’s’ combined annual salary.

I can understand DD's feelings. It often seems to be the well-heeled who are tight with their money

[halfateabag]

I suppose it must vary a lot but I seem to have been lucky at our Lidl. The boxes have been well used and I am grateful. I would rather use than loose !

[Suffs]

Once upon a time there was a beautiful island … it was covered with lush grass and tall leafy trees … on the island lived two friends … the giraffe and the sheep … they were the only creatures on the island and they relied on each other for company and friendship.
Every day the giraffe would reach into the trees and eat leaves and the sheep would wander over the grass grazing as she went. There were plenty of trees so no matter how hungry the giraffe was the trees stayed alive and continued to grow more leaves. Likewise there was lots of grass so even a hungry sheep didn’t eat it all and the grass continued to grow and replenish itself.
There were always leaves for the giraffe and plenty of grass for the sheep.
Then one day the giraffe had a thought … ‘why should I keep stretching my neck up to the trees when it’s just as easy for me to lower my head and graze the grass? From now on I’m going to eat grass like the sheep’, and so he did. From that day onwards the giraffe ate grass alongside the sheep.
Before long the grass was all gone … the grass could not replenish itself and died. No more grass grew. Nothing grew except the trees.
‘Oh dear’ said the giraffe. ‘Isn’t it fortunate that I am equipped to reach the tree leaves. I won’t go hungry’
The sheep died.
The giraffe was lonely and very sad … he didn’t understand it was his fault for putting his own wants first and not understanding the needs of the sheep …

[Rainbow]

A good parable, Suffs. I haven't heard that story before.

[Pepper Pig]

That’s giraffes for you.

[Rainbow]

That’s giraffes for you.

Didn't know that they had a bad reputation!

[Ameew]

The Too good to go bags are to reduce food waste and food being binned , not to necessarily feed people on a low income .

As for yellow sticker items , I don’t think enjoying a bargain should be means tested. If I walked past a deal in a supermarket where something was on special offer , I wouldn’t think not to pick it up , just because I could afford the full price equivalent

[Suffs]

They may not be intended to help folk on a low income … but it can’t be disputed that many folk who are strapped for cash find them a god-send and without them some folk struggle to feed their families. The gap between the incomes of the better off in the UK compared with the incomes of the lower paid has grown exponentially over the recent past.

[Earthmaiden]

Just a thought to add. It's not always obvious who is in need at any one time. It's good that these schemes reduce waste and help those who need help that day.