The 28 surprise bags of food I rescued from being wasted in December 2023

Want to save money on food costs and save food from being wasted?  Download the app “Too Good to Go”!  For one third of the original cost, you can buy unsold or surplus food from participating restaurants, bakeries, groceries stores.  For usually less than $10, you can get a “surprise bag” full of goodies that the store has picked.  You won’t know what’s in it until you pick it up.  It’s been a fun ride for me since starting it in January 2023. 

(Where there is a clear price tag of the goods, surprise bags that meet or are above the minimum value are marked with a green checkmark and surprise bags that do not meet the minimum value are marked with a red X.  E.g. If a surprise bag costs $7.99, the minimum value of goods received should be $24 worth.)

Unfortunately, I received two undervalued bags this month and when I contacted TGTG to let them know, their customer service was less than stellar.  Despite asking to provide a photo of the contents of the bags on the initial contact form, the subsequent e-mail correspondence asked me NOT to include any further photos and to describe the issue in written format and to reiterate things like the store name and location despite it already being in the subject of the e-mail.  I also was asked to repeat details of the surprise bag twice in the same e-mail thread (makes no sense).  And when the TGTG agent finally acknowledged the issue and said they would issue a voucher to me, there was no voucher to be seen.  Same thing on the second bag when they said they would issue me a refund, there was no refund to be seen.  I had to follow up both times to ultimately receive the promised compensation (but with lots of unnecessary stress, waiting, and anxiety).  Why do I feel like I’m pulling teeth to get a proper response?  Why use these nasty delay tactics?  It makes TGTG’s customer service look really unreliable, unprofessional, and dubious.  I hate companies who use these sleazy tactics to avoid providing proper compensation.  It’s almost like if you’re not on top of your game and happen to forget about following up, they will use that as a trick to avoid compensating you.  Please do better, TGTG.

Here are the surprise bags I got in December 2023 (a total of 28 surprise bags):

December 2, 2023:

Crust Baking Company $6.99 surprise bag

• Crust Baking Company
• 9610 Yonge St., Richmond Hill
• Pick up time:  5 to 6 p.m.
• Bread Bag:  $6.99
• Contents:  3 sourdough, 1 bread, 2 packs of 6 sesame seed bagels.
• So happy to get their new category of surprise bags: bread!  I wasn’t disappointed with the bread.  The sesame bagels were so fresh and soft upon trying them immediately.  Love this store! 😄

Maki Mart $6.99 surprise bag

• Maki Mart
• 3623 Hwy 7, unit 103, Markham
• Pick up time:  6 to 7 p.m.
• Surprise Bag:  $6.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  6 handrolls with accompanying soy sauce and wasabi:  2 Fatty Toro ($4.95 each), 2 Butterfish ($3.95 each), 2 Spam Musubi ($3.95 each).  Total value:  $25.70. ✅
• Yay, another surprise bag from Maki Mart!  This time (my third bag), we got 4 of their premium makis, the fatty toro and butterfish!  Yay!!  They were fresh and delicious.  The Spam Musubi was great too.  The toddler enjoyed that one.  Next time, we’ll get two bags because one is starting to not be enough. 😅

December 3, 2023:

Easy Save $7.99 surprise bag

• Easy Save (Scarborough)
• Unit 2-3, 20 Melford Dr., Scarborough
• Pick up time: 12 to 3 p.m.
• Deluxe Frozen Food Surprise Bag: $7.99 plus tax = $9.03
• Contents:  Salt & Pepper Squid, Lava Buns, pack of shrimp.
• We followed the instructions to air fry the squid and it tasted pretty good.
• The shrimp was very plump and juicy!

TJ Produce $6.99 surprise bag

• TJ Produce (Scarborough)
• Unit 7, 31 Melford Dr., Scarborough
• Pick up time:  1 to 4:30 p.m.
• Family pack sushi California rolls 加州卷:  $6.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  34 pieces of sushi (21 California rolls, 13 salad rolls).
• The tray of sushi was exactly the brand and type we had purchased from Costco before.  I noticed the tray of sushi didn’t seem cold when I picked it up from the store.  The sushi pieces looked visually fine.  When tasting it, it was all right but the rice was really soft.  We noticed that the bottom of the rolls had a dark colour to it like soy sauce had been spilled.  My toddler tried one piece and refused to eat any more.  She said the sushi tasted sour.  Later that evening, I experienced some loose stools…

TJ Produce $8.99 surprise bag

• TJ Produce (Scarborough)
• Unit 7, 31 Melford Dr., Scarborough
• Pick up time:  2 to 4:30 p.m.
• Sushi premium rainbow combo 特級彩虹卷:  $8.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  30 pieces of sushi (6 smoked salmon rolls, 6 California rolls, 6 salad veggie rolls, 6 masago salad rolls, 2 shrimp nigiri, 2 red tuna nigiri, 2 salmon nigiri).
• This tray of sushi was the same brand as the earlier one.  Upon picking it up, I noticed some ice from the thawing process on the rolls.  When I got home and opened it up, the red tuna nigiri was spoiled and had white splotches and white moldy dots on it.  The nearby smoked salmon rolls were affected too.  We threw out the rolls.

Longo’s $6.99 surprise bag

• Longo’s (Hwy 7)
• 3085 Hwy 7, Markham
• Dairy: $6.99 (no tax)
• Pick up time: 5 to 7 p.m.
• Contents:  12 Activia Lactose Free Probiotics Yogurt (vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, cherry) x 100 g $8.69, 1L of 1% Beatrice buttermilk $4.79, 650g of Astro banana yogurt $4.79, 175g of Astro cappuccino yogurt $1.49, 946ml of Longo’s organic pasteurized 2% milk $3.50.  Total value: $23.26. ✅
• Wow!!  A true dairy bag this time and what a great score!  All items perfect for my family’s taste (especially the lactose free yogurts for me and the 2% milk for the toddler).  The buttermilk, banana yogurt, and cappuccino yogurts are new items for us.  How exciting!! 😄  (First time having coffee-tasting yogurt.  The banana yogurt was sweet and nice.  Buttermilk tastes tarty and reminds me of Yakult!)

December 5, 2023:

Edible Arrangements $4.99 surprise bag

After cutting the fruit

• Edible Arrangements
• 209 Main St., Unionville
• Surprise Bag: $4.99 plus tax = $5.64
• Pick up time: 3 to 4 p.m.
• Contents:  large bag of fruit cutouts (pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew), 1 box of strawberries.
• I was wagering for a different type of surprise bag because it didn’t say “fruit cutouts” in the category or description and usually Edible Arrangements does tell you ahead of time that that’s what the surprise bag is.  Thus, when I picked it up from the Unionville location, I was surprised that it was actually the fruit cutouts.
• There was a lot of precut fruit in the bag this time.  We yielded so much ripe and fresh fruit!!  Great deal.

Pizza Pizza $5.99 surprise bag

• Pizza Pizza (8601 Warden Ave)
• 8601 Warden Ave., Unionville
• Prepared meals: $5.99 plus tax = $6.77
• Contents:  1 slice of pepperoni pizza, 1 slice of meats pizza, 2 panzerotti.
• I swore off this location of Pizza Pizza for a while because the last time we got a bag from them, the pizzas weren’t fresh and my husband said the oil tasted old.  Since then though, I have witnessed the store’s rating go up from 3.8 to 4.3.  I wanted to get a bag to see if the quantity or quality improved.
• I loved that the employees heated up the pizzas for me upon swiping the order.  The food was hot and fresh and ready to eat!
• The panzerotti tasted good.  The 2 slices of pizza though were not that fresh.

La Rocca Creative Kitchen $5.99 surprise bag

• La Rocca Creative Kitchen
• 1285 Elgin Mills Rd. E., Richmond Hill
• Cupcakes and assorted baked goods: $5.99 plus tax = $6.77
• Contents:  Lemon Meringue Tart (fresh lemon curd, toasted Italian meringue in a buttery shortbread crust) $7.50, Pistachio Cassis Cube (pistachio mousse, cassis anglaise, pistachio praline, gluten-free vanilla sponge, topped with almond macaron) $8.25, The Rocky Mountain (chocolate cheesecake, chocolate brownie, candied walnuts, caramel, whipped chocolate ganache, Italian meringue) $7.95.  Total value: $23.70. ✅
• Delicious treats as always!!  I didn’t realize The Rocky Mountain was chocolate cheesecake until I put my fork into it.  Its rich and denseness blew me by surprise.  My second time enjoying the pistachio treat and it was so soft and heavenly again.  The Lemon Meringue Tart was so fresh and lemony.  Love how friendly the staff person was too.
• Also really cute how the minis were holiday themed, like how there was a small wreath fondant and snowflake on the striped chocolate.

December 7, 2023:

Metro $12.99 surprise bag

• Metro (20 Church Ave)
• 20 Church Ave., North York
• Pick up time:  12 to 6 p.m.
• Assorted Meat:  $12.99 (no tax)
• Contents: 2 packs of split chicken wings $15.90 + $15.56, 1 pack of boneless skinless chicken thighs $9, 1 pack of angus top sirloin steak $10.86.  Total value: $51.32. ✅
• I was so excited for my first assorted meat bag from Metro!!!  So thrilled that they have these bags now.  More food to be diverted from the landfill.  Yay!
• Very happy with this haul.  We eat chicken a lot and love drums and wings.  The sirloin steak is a treat too!
• And amazing value.  The minimum value only had to be $39, so $51.32 surpassed it by far! 🤩

Metro $6.99 surprise bag

• Metro (20 Church Ave)
• 20 Church Ave., North York
• Pick up time:  3 to 6 p.m.
• Assorted Fruit & Salad:  $6.99 plus tax = $7.90
• Contents:  1 American Blend Salad $4.99, 2 Very Veggie Salads $4.99 x2, 1 Greener Selection Salad Mix $3.99, 1 Ornament Vegetable Tray $11.99.  Total value: $30.95. ✅
• Loved the special holiday vegetable tray (lid has a Christmas tree on it) and 4 salads!  Amazing deal.  Good quality although some of the salad leaves were starting to turn.

December 8, 2023:

Chevalier Star Trading Co $9.99 surprise bag

A1 Instant Curry Laksa Vermicelli, A1 Real Abalone Noodle

• Chevalier Star Trading Co. Ltd.
• 88B East Beaver Creek Rd., unit 4, Richmond Hill
• Pick up time:  1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
• Noodles Surprise Bag:  $9.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  24 packs of noodles (16 packs of A1 Instant Curry Laksa Vermicelli, 8 packs of A1 Real Abalone Noodle).
• Wow!  My jaw was dropped on the floor when the lady landed me not one but two boxes of noodles!  I knew that the quantity was going to be generous because this store had a rating of 4.6/5 stars at the time of pickup but I didn’t know I was going to get TWO boxes’ worth of noodles.  I was so surprised!  What a great bag!  She also gave me a box of almond cookies as a bonus.  I loved that she opened the door for me because my hands were full and she bowed and thanked me as I left.  Truly impressive service.
• We cooked the curry laksa vermicelli to try and the soup base was so rich and creamy.  It was definitely spicy.  The vermicelli was very fine and absorbed all of the soup base.
• The abalone noodle was interesting to eat as well.  The noodles tasted and looked like typical instant noodles.  The soup base tasted like a mix between abalone sauce and Chinese herbs.  There really was one small abalone in the package too!  Despite being a instant noodle lover, I did not love the way the flavours of this soup base came about.

Ye’s Kitchen $7.99 surprise bag

• Ye’s Kitchen
• 10650 Leslie St., unit 4, Richmond Hill
• Baked goods:  $7.99 plus tax = $9.03
• Pick up time:  5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• Contents:  1 loaf of Coffee bread, 1 chestnut roll cake.
• The chestnut roll cake had soft dense cake with lots of chestnut paste; it was unique to try this flavour of roll cake and it tasted good.
• The coffee bread was dense and soft.  It had bits of raisins and nuts in it, as well as tasting very strongly of coffee.

DIBS Scratch Kitchen $6.99 surprise bag

• DIBS Scratch Kitchen 
• 10220 Yonge St., Richmond Hill
• Baked goods:  $6.99 (no tax)
• Pick up time:  6 to 7 p.m.
• Contents:  1 quarter vanilla buttercream cake, 3 ginger cookies, 2 muffins, 1 crumbled butter tart, 1 shortbread of some kind.
• The vanilla cake was dry and starting to get stale.   The butter tart was good and not too sweet.  The ginger cookies were typical.  I really liked the variety of baked goods they gave!  This bakery is special in that it is nut free.

December 10, 2023:

Longo’s $6.99 surprise bag

• Longo’s (Hwy 7)
• 3085 Hwy 7, Markham
• Dairy: $6.99 (no tax)
• Pick up time: 5 to 7 p.m.
• Contents: 1L of organic 2% milk $4.50, 1L of 1% buttermilk $4.79, 1.18L of Starbucks Vanilla Latte iced espresso $8.99, 1.54L of lime juice $6.29, 8 tubs of 100g coconut Greek yogurt $5.49 x2.  Total value: $35.55. ✅
• A great bag of different varieties!  We were happy to receive yogurt because we eat yogurt on the regular in our household.  The Starbucks drink is great for the husband.  More buttermilk for us all (recently learned how nutritious it is and it can be drunk on its own).  Having received 2 solid dairy bags now (with BB dates 4 days from pickup, giving us adequate time to consume it), we plan to get this bag on the regular to fulfill our usual grocery trips. 🙌

December 12, 2023:

Metro $12.99 surprise bag

• Metro (70 Thickson Rd. S)
• 70 Thickson Rd. S, Whitby
• Pick up time:  12 to 6 p.m.
• Assorted Meat:  $12.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  boneless brisket $23.68, chicken wings $12.48, 8-pack chicken breast kabobs $15.99.  Total value: $52.15. ✅
• Wow, what great value for this bag!!  At first glance, simply three items doesn’t make it look like a hefty bag but once you look at the total value, it is all worth it. 😊

Metro $6.99 surprise bag

• Metro (4111 Thickson Rd. N)
• 4111 Thickson Rd. N, Whitby
• Pick up time:  3 to 6 p.m.
• Assorted Fruit & Salad:  $6.99 plus tax =  $7.90
• Contents:  Kale Slaw Salad $3.49, Very Veggie Salad $4.99, Broccoli Florets $4.99, Caesar Salad Kit, Belle Grove Portobello Mushrooms $6.99, Oyster Mushrooms $3.99, Sliced White Mushrooms $2.99.  Total value: $27.44+. ✅
• Amazing assortment of salads and mushrooms!  Everything was edible, but the absolute best one was the Classic Caesar Salad because the lettuce were so crunchy!!  It is so rare to receive fresh salad like this in the salad bags.  What a joy to eat.

December 16, 2023:

May Flowers $7.99 surprise bag

• May Flowers (St. Clair Ave. W)
• 1020 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto
• Pick up time:  8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Surprise Bag Large:  $7.99 plus tax = $9.03
• Contents:   5 baked goods:  2 Blueberry Muffins, 1 Pain du Chocolat, 1 Artichoke Spinach Brioche, 1 Cheddar & Chive Scone.
• The cheddar and chive scone was so good and buttery!  The brioche was good.  The other items were great too.

Mulu Injera $3.99 surprise bag

• Mulu Injera
• 1893 Eglinton Ave. W., York
• Pick up time:  11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Ethiopian Injera Bread:  $3.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  3 beef empanadas ($2.99 each), pack of injera bread $6.  Total value:  $14.97. ✅
• What a great surprise to receive 3 beef empanadas as well as injera bread.  I believe this is the first time I received empanadas in a surprise bag.  They were tasty and chock full of ingredients.  The injera bread was great and lasted me a couple of breakfasts!
• The pickup experience was not good, however.  My husband was the one who went inside the store to pick up the surprise bag.  Upon informing the staff about the bag, the male staff asked my husband if he knew what it was that he was picking up.  My husband has tried injera bread before but didn’t feel the need to disclose this information; we had reserved the bag — why was it necessary to confirm to the person that we knew or did not know what the item was?  Would he have asked that question if we were of a different ethnicity?  My husband recalled that the staff member seemed very reluctant to give the surprise bag to him for seemingly not knowing what the food items might have been.  This is prejudice and unnecessary.

Amico Bakery $9.99 surprise bag

• Amico Bakery
• 2889 Dufferin St., North York
• Pick up time:  8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Surprise Bag:  $9.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  4 slices of pizza: 2 Diavola (tomato sauce, hot soppressata, mozzarella, hot pepperoncini), 1 Vegetariana (tomato sauce, caramelized onion, roasted red and yellow pepperss, grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant, oregano, no cheese), 1 Boscaiola (mushrooms, mozzarella, smoked scamorza cheese, garlic, rosemary); 2 Italian sandwiches:  Tacchino Focaccia Sandwich, Salumi D’Italia Focaccia Sandwich; 2 sweet buns.
• Wow, wow, wow!  What a wonderful surprise bag!!  I had no expectations for this bag from this cozy Italian bakery and was wonderfully blown away with what we received.  The 4 slices of pizza were divine; such pillowy soft dough.  The Italian sandwiches were huge and delicious with soft pillowy bread too.  I would totally get this bag again if I am in the area!

Cup of Te Cafe $4.99 surprise bag

• Cup of Te Cafe
• 38 Via Bagnato, unit 106, North York
• Pick up time:  12 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Baked Goods:  $4.99 plus tax = $5.64
• Contents:  2 chocolate croissants ($3 each), 2 butter croissants ($2.50 each).  Total value: $11. ❌
• Very crispy and crunchy chocolate croissants and butter croissants.  I actually didn’t try them the day I picked up the bag.  They were still crispy and crunchy (albeit a tad dried-out) two days later.

Metro $6.99 surprise bag

• Metro (1090 Wilson)
• 1090 Wilson Ave., North York
• Pick up time:  3 to 6 p.m.
• Assorted Fruit & Salad:  $6.99 plus tax = $6.77
• Contents:  Mixed Melon Mania Chunks $4.99, Chicken Greek Salad $8.49, Kale-Citrus Salad $5.99.  Total value:  $19.47. ❌
• The salads and fruit were solid.  Disappointed that a Metro surprise bag didn’t meet value for once.

December 17, 2023:

Longo’s $6.99 surprise bag

• Longo’s (Hwy 7)
• 3085 Hwy 7, Markham
• Dairy: $6.99 (no tax)
• Pick up time: 5 to 7 p.m.
• Contents:  1L of 1% Beatrice buttermilk $4.79, Strawberry yogurt 630g $4.99 x2, 946ml of Longo’s organic pasteurized 1% milk $3.50, 4-pack 100g Greek yogurt blackberry $4.99×2.  Total value: $28.25. ✅
• Amazing bag of milk and yogurts!!  Just what our family needs and usually eats.  Bless the man who picks out and assembles these surprise bags (we were at the store early and browsed the aisles and actually saw him picking out the dairy items for the surprise bags from the fridge!)  I have to wonder if one day we will get some cheese in our surprise bag.  I saw lots of cheese with best before dates of January in the store.  What happens to the cheese?  Don’t forget about the cheese too in surprise bags! 🙂

December 22, 2023:

Taste Good BBQ $7.99 surprise bag

• Taste Good BBQ
• 7 Glen Watford Dr., Scarborough
• Pick up time:  5 to 7:30 p.m.
• BBQ and Chinese food:  $7.99 plus tax = $9.03
• Contents:  1 container of braised tofu and roast pork, 1 container of BBQ pork ribs.
• Wow, another solid bag from this store!!  When we opened the box, we literally went, “Wow!”  So impressed to get 2 containers’ worth of tasty takeout meats!  I asked for a fork so we could eat it in the car.
• Both items tasted really good.  The portions were great too, especially the BBQ pork ribs.

December 29, 2023:

Diana’s Oyster Bar & Grill $7.99 surprise bag

• Diana’s Oyster Bar & Grill
• 7501 Woodbine Ave., Markham
• Pick up time:  12 to 6 p.m.
• Surprise Bag:  $7.99 plus tax = $9.03
• Contents:  3 pieces of salmon, 2 pieces of focaccia, mixed salad with dressing, clam chowder.
• This was rather disappointing.  The leaves in the salad were wilted and wet.  I had to pick through the salad; for every leaf that was okay, there was one that had to be discarded.   The salmon, bread, and soup were okay but the portion was really small…
• When my husband picked up the bag, he said that he was asked to choose between salmon or macaroni & cheese.  He was forced to choose on the spot.  He had wanted to message me to ask me first, but the man was adamant that the choice be made immediately…

Longo’s $6.99 surprise bag

• Longo’s (Hwy 7)
• 3085 Hwy 7, Markham
• Dairy: $6.99 (no tax)
• Pick up time: 5 to 7 p.m.
• Contents:  2L of 1% organic milk ($7.50 x2), 2L of organic almond milk ($4.69 x2).  Total value:  $24.38. ✅
• When the hubs went to pick this up, he again had to wait there while the surprise bag was assembled on the spot.  Why can’t they make them earlier so we don’t have to wait?  He was shown what was in the surprise bag and asked if he was okay with it because this was all they had left.  He was fine with it and left with this bag.  He was the first to pick one.  The other two people who came after him were told there were no more surprise bags and to request a refund.
• This was a good valued bag.  I’m glad we got it.

Yin Ji Chang Fen $5.99 surprise bag

• Yin Ji Chang Fen (Unionville)
• 4981 Hwy 7, unit 13, Unionville
• Pick up time:  11:35 to 11:55 p.m.
• Prepared Meal:  $5.99 plus tax = $6.77
• Contents:  2 containers of Plain Congee with preserved vegetables ($4.25 x2), 2 Sticky Rice Wraps ($5.99), 8 Hong Kong Style Curry Fish Balls ($5.99). Total value:  $20.48. ✅
• This store doesn’t disappoint!  We were again blessed with these hot and ready-to-eat items.  My mom and I ate the piping hot and velvety smooth plain congee with some of the curry fish balls as a midnight snack.  I love that we got a variety of their popular surprise bag items this time too! ^_^  Thankful that the husband was able to drive out in the middle of the night to get these for us.

December 31, 2023:

Patisserie Gateau $6.99 surprise bag

• Patisserie Gateau (Richmond Hill)
• 90119 Bayview Ave., Richmond Hill
• Pick up time:  9 to 11 a.m.
• Surprise Bag:  $6.99 (no tax)
• Contents:  10 assorted Chinese buns (3 sausage buns, raisin bun, sausage cheese bun, cheese bun, sesame bun, tuna bun, and 2 other ones not yet identified).
• Amazing haul of 10 buns!  That is probably the most we have gotten in one bag?  This is my final bag of 2023. 🙂

I’m supremely thankful for all the Too Good to Go hauls in 2023!  Until next year in 2024.  I cannot wait to see what new stores will join and all the surprise bags I’ll be getting then.  I hope I’ll be just as enthusiastic about reserving surprise bags next year as I was this year. ^_^

In 2023, I got a total of 284 surprise bags. 😲😅😄

See what I got in my other TGTG hauls in:  January 2023 (45 bags),  February 2023 (27 bags),  March 2023 (15 bags),  April 2023 (18 bags),  May 2023 (29 bags),  June 2023 (31 bags),  July 2023 (34 bags),  August 2023 (27 bags),  September 2023 (14 bags),  October 2023 (10 bags),  November 2023 (6 bags),  December 2023 (28 bags) (this post).