John Myers
The online shop Motatos only offers food that is close to the best-before date or has already passed it. The company wants to avoid that food ends up pointlessly in the bin. But there is also criticism that the parent company Massmart has to face.
Mottos in check: This is what the online shop offers
In the western world, tons of food that are still edible is thrown away every year. This food waste not only puts a strain on the customer’s wallet but also on the environment. In order to do something against this waste, the Swedes Erik Södergren, Karl Andersson, and Ulf Skagerström founded the Massmart group in 2014, which operates the online shop Motatos.
- On Motatos you can buy food from surplus stocks and food that is just before the best-before date has expired – or in some cases even beyond it – at significantly more favorable conditions. According to Motatos, the groceries are offered at a discount of 20 to 90 percent. The company cooperates with well-known food manufacturers such as Coca-Cola, Dr. Oetker, and Unilever.
- The groceries are offered so cheaply on Motatos because they either have a short shelf life, have passed a best-before date, or are seasonal products, overproduction, or packaging errors.
- The range includes muesli and cereals, biscuits, cakes, crisps, sweets, spices, spreads, preserves, baking mixes, coffee, tea, cocoa, bars as well as pet food, drugstore, and baby items. Fresh food such as sausage and milk products as well as frozen goods are not offered.
- According to Motatos, all items offered are still edible and not harmful to health. The exact expiry date is given for the products on the website so that the customer knows about them before purchasing.
- There is a minimum order value of 25 euros. From an order value of 40 euros, the shipping costs of 3.90 euros are waived.
Mottos in the criticism: These are the alternatives
The idea behind Motatos sounds plausible and convincing. But the online shop is not immune to criticism either. A look at the customer rating portal Trustpilot shows that not everything is going as smoothly as advertised. Some customers complain that the goods arrive at your home late and partially damaged.
- In addition, the savings are not always as high as desired by the customer. You would also find the same product at similar prices in various discounters due to the campaign – and with a much longer shelf life.
- Large discounts often only arise when buying bulk packs. However, the question remains as to what a private household should do with ten packs of chips that have already expired.
- An alternative to Motatos can also be found in the offline world. Many supermarkets offer discounted products on special counters that are close to their expiry date. Bakeries often sell baked goods from the day before at half price.
- Another alternative is to pay attention to your own purchasing and recycling behavior. It is best to only buy small quantities and always use up everything before you buy something new. In this way, you avoid having to throw away food because it was lost in the oversupply and could not be used up.
- Conclusion: Motatos is a trustworthy online shop with a contemporary concept behind it. However, the whole thing is mainly worthwhile for larger purchases and when shopping in bulk. Otherwise, you should occasionally take a look at the leftovers on to counter in your supermarket.
