The Co-op is set to install 100 fridges across the UK over the next year, which it hopes will save 6.8 million meals from being wasted.
The grocer partnered with environmental charity Hubbub for the scheme, and unveiled one of the first fridges at the Oldham Co-op Academy earlier this week.
Around 15 more fridges will be opened this month, including in Wythenshawe, where the footballer and food campaigner Marcus Rashford grew up.
READ MORE: Central England Co-op cuts food waste by 40%
People will be able to access the fridges without a referral or proof of eligibility.
Co-op chief executive Steve Murrells said he was “delighted” to team up with Hubbub on the “community-led food solution”.
He added: “Our work in our local communities has shown us that to really make a sustainable difference we need to co-operate with others to build the resilience needed for the future.”
“The Co-op has developed a programme that spans far beyond access to food and I’m so excited to see that my own community in Wythenshawe will benefit,” Rashford said.
The news comes after Asda urged shoppers to donate food and hygiene products to charity as part of its Fight Hunger Create Change programme.
In a similar initiative last year, customers gave over 278,000 meals.
