Whole Foods adds "surprise bags" of discounted food in Richmond

Too Good To Go , an app that allows consumers to snag cheap eats and helps businesses reduce food waste , expanded to Richmond-area Whole Foods stores last week.

Why it matters: Virginia consumers and businesses produce over 2 million tons of food waste annually, per data from the nonprofit ReFED .

The big picture: The Too Good To Go app allows local restaurants and grocers to list surplus food at about one-third of its retail price.

• Richmond's two Whole Foods stores — West Broad near the Fan and Short Pump — launched on the free app last week, Too Good To Go tells Axios.
• They join Krispy Kreme , Brecotea , Pure Green , Ben Wong's Tea and Zheng Chinese Restaurant .

Zoom in: Both Richmond Whole Foods now offer two types of surplus food "surprise bags" daily — one filled with prepared food, another with baked goods.

• For $9.99, the prepared foods bag may include soups, ready-to-eat meals and salads, a retail value of $30.
• The $6.99 bakery bag has a retail value of $21 and can contain cookies, breads, muffins and scones.

Yes, but: There are only four prepared foods bags and two bakery bags per store each day, Too Good To Go tells Axios.

How it works: Users reserve a "surprise bag" that will include whatever wasn't purchased that day and schedule a time to pick it up.

• Reservations for the next day's bag usually open in the evenings, after 9pm, and sell-out quickly.
• (Except for Richmond's two Krispy Kremes, which appears to never sell out of their daily $5.83 for a dozen doughnuts offer, per an Axios review.)
• Times to pick up the bags vary by store, but usually start at 8 or 9pm at the earliest.

The bottom line: Since food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, locals can basically help save the planet by eating a discounted bag of baked goods.