Flashfood vs. Too Good To Go: How to Buy Groceries for 50% Off

Grocery prices at the major Canadian chains—Loblaws, Metro, and Sobeys—have turned the weekly shopping trip into a source of financial stress. In response, a "Food Rescue" movement has hit the mainstream, powered by two dominant apps: Flashfood and Too Good To Go.

The premise is simple: Retailers would rather sell food at a steep discount than throw it in the trash. For the consumer, this means accessing high-quality meat, dairy, produce, and prepared meals for 50% to 75% off the sticker price. While both apps aim to reduce waste, they function very differently. Understanding which one to use for "grocery staples" versus "ready-to-eat treats" is the secret to cutting your monthly food spend in half.

This guide is a critical pillar in our Ultimate Savings Guide. We will break down the store partnerships, the "Surprise Bag" gamble, and the 0-competition strategies to ensure you never pay full price for a chicken breast or a loaf of bread again.

Flashfood vs. Too Good To Go: At a Glance

1. Flashfood: The Strategic Grocery Tool

Flashfood is the closer equivalent to traditional grocery shopping. The app shows you specific items—a single pack of ground beef, a specific carton of yogurt, or a "mixed produce box"—available at a store near you.

• The Strategy: Use Flashfood to build your meal plan. Because you can see the items, you can buy a $15 roast for $7.50 and plan your Sunday dinner around it.
• The "Flashfood Zone": Once you buy in the app, you head to the store and look for the purple Flashfood fridge or rack (usually near the customer service desk). You grab your items, confirm with a staff member, and leave.
• Pro-Tip: Check the app at 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. This is when department managers typically scan the shelves for items hitting their "best before" date.

2. Too Good To Go: The "Surprise Bag" Value King

Too Good To Go (TGTG) doesn't let you pick specific items. Instead, you reserve a "Surprise Bag" from a specific vendor. A bakery bag might contain six croissants and a sourdough loaf; a Metro "Dairy Bag" might contain milk, cheese, and butter.

• The Strategy: Use TGTG for "filler" and luxury items. A $6.99 bag from a high-end bakery usually contains $21+ worth of goods.
• The Risks: You might get items you don't like or can't eat due to allergies. However, the value-to-cost ratio is usually higher than Flashfood.
• Pro-Tip: Only buy from vendors with a 4.5-star rating or higher. In the TGTG community, a high rating means the store consistently provides a high volume of quality food.

3. Comparing the Major Grocery Chains

In Canada, your choice of app often depends on which grocery store is closest to your home.

Loblaws & Superstore (Flashfood)

Flashfood has a massive partnership with the Loblaw group. This includes No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Zehrs, and Provigo. You will find a high volume of Meat and Protein here. For those managing a tight budget on OSAP or provincial aid, this is the most reliable way to afford expensive proteins.

Metro & Sobeys (Too Good To Go & FoodHero)

Metro is a major partner for Too Good To Go, offering "Meat Bags," "Dairy Bags," and "Baked Goods Bags." If you shop at Sobeys or IGA, you should also look at FoodHero, a third app that functions similarly to Flashfood but is dominant in Quebec and parts of the Maritimes.

This section should be inserted directly into Article #15: Flashfood vs. Too Good To Go, specifically after the "Comparing the Major Grocery Chains" section and before the "1,000-Word Deep Dive."

By placing it here, you transform the article into a "Triple Threat" comparison, capturing the traffic for all three major food-rescue apps in Canada.

Section: FoodHero: The Underdog Champion of Grocery Savings

While Flashfood dominates Loblaws and Too Good To Go owns the "Surprise Bag" niche, FoodHero is the strategic "Secret Weapon" for Canadians who shop at Empire Company stores (Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, and Thrifty Foods) and Metro locations in Quebec.

FoodHero functions similarly to Flashfood—allowing you to see specific items at a 25% to 60% discount—but it has a distinct technical advantage: Inventory Volume. Because FoodHero is deeply integrated with the Sobeys/Empire national database, you will often find hundreds of items at a single store, ranging from organic meats to niche artisanal cheeses that rarely show up on other apps.

The FoodHero "Freezer Hack" for Meat & Fish

The biggest strategy for FoodHero is understanding their frozen inventory system. Unlike Flashfood, which primarily lists fresh items in a dedicated fridge, FoodHero partners with stores to move items into the freezer at least 12 hours before their best-before date.

• The Benefit: This "locks in" the freshness. While Flashfood meat sometimes feels like a "buy today, cook tonight" race, FoodHero meat is already prepped for long-term storage.
• The Strategy: Search for "Meat and Fish" in the app during the Empire Company FoodHero rollout hours (usually mid-morning). You can stock an entire chest freezer with high-end Safeway or Sobeys proteins for less than the cost of a single retail-priced grocery haul.

Technical Tips: Bypassing the $5.00 Threshold

New users often search for a "FoodHero promo code 2026" to maximize their first shop.

• The Referral Hack: Every new account created via a referral link automatically gets a $5.00 credit. Unlike other apps where you earn points, FoodHero gives you raw cash credits that apply instantly to your first order.
• The Street Angle: Share your unique referral code with family members. Once they make their first purchase, you get another $5.00. For a household with two adults, this is an easy $10.00 in free groceries just for setting up the app.

1. The National Expansion: Beyond Quebec

Originally a Quebec-centric success story, the Sobeys FoodHero partnership now covers over 1,000 stores across Canada, including Safeway in the West and Foodland in the Atlantic provinces.

• The Hack: If you live in Ontario or the Prairies and haven't checked the app lately, you are missing out. Many stores are currently "Under-Shopped," meaning the high-value items (like $20 steaks for $8) sit on the app longer than they do on Flashfood.

2. Mastering the "Auction" Cycles

FoodHero uses an "Auction" style refresh. Items aren't just added once a day; they are added in cycles as department managers scan their inventory.

• The Strategy: Check the app at 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 8:00 PM.
• The Secret: The 8:00 PM scan is the "Gold Mine." This is when managers scan items that won't make it to the next morning's fresh shelf. Buying at night and picking up the next morning (during the FoodHero pickup window) ensures you get the first pick of the late-night inventory.

3. FoodHero vs Flashfood: The Meat Quality Debate

"FoodHero vs Flashfood meat." * The Verdict: Flashfood meat is almost always "Fresh-to-Expire," while FoodHero meat is frequently "Flash-Frozen-to-Save."

• The Advice: If you plan on cooking the meat immediately, Flashfood is great. If you are a "Stockpile Saver" building a 3-month food supply, FoodHero is the technically superior app because of the pre-frozen safety margin.

4. Using the "Service Charge" to Your Advantage

Some users complain about the FoodHero service fee (usually around $0.99 to $1.99).

• The Math: To make the fee "invisible," you must shop for high-density orders. Buying one $4.00 item with a $1.50 fee is bad math. Buying ten items for $40.00 (saving $40.00 total) makes the $1.50 fee irrelevant.
• The Hack: Use the "Category Filter" to sweep for all items at a single store location. FoodHero is best used for "The Big Haul" rather than a single-item snack.

5. The "Rachelle-Béry" & Organic Secret

For health-conscious shoppers, FoodHero’s partnership with Rachelle-Béry and Marché Tradition is a game-changer.

• The Value: You can find organic, non-GMO, and specialty health foods for 60% off. This is the only app in Canada that consistently discounts "Premium Health" brands, which are usually excluded from traditional flyers.

What is FoodHero?

FoodHero is a Canadian grocery-saving app that offers 25% to 60% off surplus food at major retailers like Sobeys, Safeway, Metro, IGA, and Foodland. Unlike "Surprise Bag" apps, FoodHero lets you choose specific items like meat, fish, and produce. It is currently available at over 1,000 locations across Canada, making it the primary competitor to Flashfood for shoppers seeking high-quality proteins and organic groceries at half price.

"Grocery Rescue" Tactics

1. The "Metro Surprise Bag" Restock Time

One of the most searched but least documented secrets is the "Metro Surprise Bag restock time." * The Street Angle: In cities like Toronto and Ottawa, Metro bags sell out in seconds.

• The Hack: Most Metro locations auto-release their bags 15 minutes after the pickup window ends for the current day. If the pickup window is 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, the next day's bags will often drop at 8:15 PM. Set a timer for 8:14 PM and keep refreshing.

2. Flashfood $5 Produce Box Contents

The "$5 Flashfood produce box" is the legendary "holy grail" of the app.

• The Reality: These are large cardboard boxes filled with "ugly" or slightly bruised fruits and vegetables.
• The Hack: Don't just look at the photo. Look at the description. If a manager writes "Heavy on peppers and onions," that is a base for a week's worth of stir-fry or fajitas.
• "What is in a Flashfood $5 box today" — Users often share their hauls on Reddit or local Facebook groups. Checking these "haul reports" helps you identify which specific store locations are the most generous with their boxing.

3. Too Good To Go Refund for "Under Value" Bags

A common frustration found in reviews is: "My Too Good To Go bag wasn't worth the advertised $21."

• The Strategy: TGTG has a strict policy that bags must be worth 3x the price paid. If you pay $7 and get a $10 sandwich, the store has breached the agreement.
• The Hack: Take a photo of the items and the receipt (or a screenshot of the shelf price). Submit a "Value Dispute" through the app. TGTG is very aggressive about protecting their brand and will usually issue a full refund in app credits within 24 hours.

4. The "Freezer First" Strategy for Meat

High-traffic searches for "Is Flashfood meat safe?" highlight a major consumer fear.

• The Fact: "Best Before" dates are not "Expiry" dates. They are quality indicators.
• The Street Angle: Buy the Flashfood meat (50% off), take it home, and freeze it immediately. It will stay perfectly safe for 3–6 months. This allows you to "stockpile" expensive steak and chicken when it's cheap, rather than buying it when you need it.

5. Using Flashfood for "High-Ticket" Items (Diapers & Formula)

Most people think Flashfood is just for produce.

• The Hack: Occasionally, stores will list Diapers, Baby Formula, or High-End Skincare that has damaged packaging.
• The Strategy: Use the "Category" filter in the app to look for "Non-Food" items. Getting a $40 box of diapers for $20 is a massive win for families following our Daycare Subsidy and Family Savings guide.

6. The 7-Eleven "Baked Goods" Hack for Students

For students in Vancouver or Toronto, the 7-Eleven TGTG bags are a 24/7 lifeline.

• The Value: A $4.99 "Baked Goods" bag from 7-Eleven often contains 4–6 donuts, muffins, or cookies.
• The Strategy: Since these are 24-hour locations, their pickup windows are often much more flexible than local bakeries. It’s the perfect "Late Night Study" fuel for a fraction of the cost of a vending machine.

Flashfood vs Too Good To Go

Which is better, Flashfood or Too Good To Go? Flashfood is better for strategic grocery shopping because it lets you see specific items (like meat and produce) for 50% off. Too Good To Go is better for high-value prepared foods and baked goods, offering "Surprise Bags" for 66–75% off. For the best savings in Canada, use Flashfood at Loblaws/Superstore for staples and Too Good To Go at Metro/Local Bakeries for treats and ready-to-eat meals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I use PC Optimum points with Flashfood?

A: No. Flashfood is a separate platform, so you cannot earn or redeem PC Optimum points on your purchases. However, the 50% discount usually far outweighs the value of the points you would have earned.

Q: What if the food is rotten when I pick it up?

A: For Flashfood, inspect the items at the "Flashfood Zone" before leaving the store. If something is clearly rotten, talk to the customer service desk immediately for an on-the-spot refund. For TGTG, you must go through the app's support team.

Q: Is there a limit to how many bags I can buy?

A: No, but bags are limited by the store's daily surplus. Popular spots sell out in minutes, so you need to be fast.

Q: Can I use these apps in small towns?

A: Flashfood is widely available in smaller towns with a Superstore or No Frills. Too Good To Go is currently more focused on major urban centers (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary), but is expanding rapidly into smaller cities.

About the Author

Jeff Calixte (MC Yow-Z) is a Canadian labour market researcher and digital entrepreneur specializing in government benefit data and cost-of-living support. As the founder of CanadaPaymentDates.ca and BetterPayJobs.ca, Jeff helps newcomers, students, and workers navigate the Canadian social safety net—from tracking CRA payment schedules to finding entry-level work.

Sources

1. CBC News: How food waste apps can help the climate and save you money
2. Flashfood: Official Store Locator and Partner List
3. Too Good To Go: 2026 Impact Report - Canada Food Waste Savings

Note

Official 2026 payment dates and benefit amounts are determined by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and provincial governments. While we strive to keep this information current, government policies and schedules are subject to change without notice. All data in this guide is verified against official CRA circulars at the time of publication and should be treated as an estimate. We recommend confirming the status of your personal file directly via CRA My Account or by calling the CRA benefit line at 1-800-387-1193.