Lidl GB and Neighbourly will expand their partnership with food-sharing app, Olio, to give more shoppers the chance to collect surplus food from Lidl stores, helping cut food waste while supporting communities with access to groceries.

Lidl said it hopes to extend the initiative, which is currently available at around 200 stores, to a nationwide rollout by the end of the year.

This builds on a successful trial of evening collections in 20 stores, which has already prevented ~1,200kg of food waste per week. It is hoped that once the programme is live nationally, it will be able to redistribute 5,000 tonnes of surplus food each year, the equivalent of nearly 11.9million meals.

“Real change requires a community effort, and we are incredibly grateful to our store teams, charity partners and the dedicated Food Waste Heroes who are rescuing good quality food for those who need it most,” said Georgina Hall, Director of Corporate Affairs at Lidl GB. 

“With our sights set on a nationwide rollout by the end of this year, this expanding partnership will soon empower communities to rescue up to nearly 12million meals every single year. This collaboration will make a huge impact on the lives of the most vulnerable in our communities everywhere,” Hall added.

The new initiative significantly scales up the discounters’ existing efforts with social impact platform Neighbourly by integrating Olio’s network of Food Waste Heroes into its surplus food network – combining the strengths of two leading players in food redistribution for the first time.

Since 2016, Lidl GB has donated 50million meals through its Feed it Back scheme with Neighbourly, linking every nationwide store to local good causes.