Too Good to Go

[m4rouf]

Assalamualaykum,
There’s a food purchasing app called Too Good to Go. It lets you buy ‘magic bags’ which contain foods that stores are about to throw away because they’re about to go off. It’s supposed to help reduce food wastage. You have to buy in advance to reserve your bag. You know broadly what you’ll be getting, e.g. cakes, croissants, bread, but you don’t know the exact products as it depends on what the store has left at the end of the day. Is this app permissible to use in Islam?

 

[Hamza Asadullah]

Assalamualaykum,
There’s a food purchasing app called Too Good to Go. It lets you buy ‘magic bags’ which contain foods that stores are about to throw away because they’re about to go off. It’s supposed to help reduce food wastage. You have to buy in advance to reserve your bag. You know broadly what you’ll be getting, e.g. cakes, croissants, bread, but you don’t know the exact products as it depends on what the store has left at the end of the day. Is this app permissible to use in Islam?

Asalaamu Alaikum,

Yes I'm aware of this app and have used it once to get a takeaway from a Muslim run shop. However I wouldn't buy anything from a non Muslim place or any place which also sells haraam food products alongside vegetarian and vegan food items, as there is always a chance of cross contamination. This is because non Muslims are not careful about ensuring that food items are not mixed or cross contaminated. I've been told this by Muslims working in such places who advised never to buy food from such places as there is a lot of cross contamination.

The only non Muslim places I would consider buying food items from are those that are specifically vegetarian and vegan but you still have to ensure they do not use alcohol in any if their food items to ensure there is no cross contamination.

And Allah knows best in all matters

 

[m4rouf]

Asalaamu Alaikum,

Yes I'm aware of this app and have used it once to get a takeaway from a Muslim run shop. However I wouldn't buy anything from a non Muslim place or any place which also sells haraam food products alongside vegetarian and vegan food items, as there is always a chance of cross contamination. This is because non Muslims are not careful about ensuring that food items are not mixed or cross contaminated. I've been told this by Muslims working in such places who advised never to buy food from such places as there is a lot of cross contamination.

The only non Muslim places I would consider buying food items from are those that are specifically vegetarian and vegan but you still have to ensure they do not use alcohol in any if their food items to ensure there is no cross contamination.

And Allah knows best in all matters

وَعَلَيْكُمْ السَّلاَمُ

jzk khairan for the reply.

I was thinking about whether it’s permissible from the perspective of not knowing exactly what you’re buying. I read somewhere that you have to know what you’re buying before buying it or it’s not permissible, but I don’t know how specific the knowledge has to be since you do broadly know what you’d be getting in the magic bag.

 

[Hamza Asadullah]

وَعَلَيْكُمْ السَّلاَمُ

jzk khairan for the reply.

I was thinking about whether it’s permissible from the perspective of not knowing exactly what you’re buying. I read somewhere that you have to know what you’re buying before buying it or it’s not permissible, but I don’t know how specific the knowledge has to be since you do broadly know what you’d be getting in the magic bag.

What we do know is that we cannot trust non Muslims not to cross contaminate food products. Also if we have our doubts about any matter, then as a general rule of thumb we should try and avoid it:

Abi Ab’dillahi al-Nu’man ibn Basheer (Ra) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) say: “That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear and between the two of them are doubtful [or ambiguous] matters about which not many people are knowledgeable. Thus, he who avoids these doubtful matters certainly clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor. But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Verily every king has a sanctuary and Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibition. In the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be sound, all the body is sound and which, if it be diseased, all the body is diseased. This part of the body is the heart”. (Bukhari and Muslim]

And Allah knows best in all matters

 

[AabiruSabeel]

Please see https://islamqa.info/amp/en/answers/2997