Iceland has announced its partnership with the UK’s number one local sharing app, Olio to offer free meals and support to families during the cost-of-living crisis.
The scheme will stop surplus food from going to waste by re-distributing it via Olio from over 1,000 Iceland stores and The Food Warehouse stores over the next nine months.
With the help of Olio’s 50,000 ‘Food Waste Hero’ volunteers, people can download the app and be able to find food items that are nearing the end of their shelf life for free.
This announcement follows the partnerships successful pilot scheme which took place in 2021 and saw over 4,000 meals redistributed among 240 families.
The frozen food retailer plans to increase these figures across 2023 and build on its current food waste reduction programme which has redistributed over 2.3 million meals in the last year via partnerships with community organisations.
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“This partnership will provide access to free food across the UK at a time when the cost of living continues to increase. We are proud to team with Olio and hope that Iceland customers see the benefit,” Iceland managing director Richard Walker said.
Olio co-founder and CEO Tessa Clarke added: “Our community of users will be thrilled to see Iceland’s products now available via the Olio app.”
“We’ve always shouted about freezing food as a way to fight food waste, and we hope this partnership with Iceland will be the beginning of more awareness raising about how your freezer can help the planet and your pocket.”
The scheme will also be implemented in line with WRAP, a charity working to achieve a circular economy, by helping to reduce waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way.
“Foods with a Best Before date applied are still good to eat beyond that date and we encourage people to use their judgement and check out the Love Food Hate Waste website for more tips on how to reduce food waste, save money and fight climate change,” WRAP director of collaboration and change, Catherine David said.
This news comes as Iceland Foods has become the first UK supermarket to launch plastic-free reusable woven bags, expanding its alternatives to traditional plastic bags.
