Asda has expanded its “back of store” donation scheme to 209 stores as it enters a new partnership with FareShare and local food-sharing app Olio.

The new three-way partnership will ensure surplus food, which is edible but past its best before date, can be collected from 209 of Asda’s stores even when local charity support is not available.

Fareshare’s local food charities will be prioritised in receiving donations and will connect Olio’s ‘food waste heroes’ with their local Asda stores, who will then share food with their community for free.

It is expected that the addition of Olio as a food redistribution partner will see over 680 donation slots added to Asda’s back-of-store donation scheme over the coming weeks, allowing for surplus food to be donated to those in need, even when charities aren’t available to collect.

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Asda chief commercial officer for food Kris Comerford said: “Redistributing surplus food continues to be a priority for our business, and we are proud to be continuing the progress we’ve made to date.

“Through our continued work with Fareshare, we will continue to prioritise local charities in ensuring they receive food donations first and foremost, while our new partnership with Olio will help us to prevent surplus food from going to waste.

“Increasing the number of donation opportunities and how we work with charity partners means we can provide even more support to local communities – while at the same time reducing food waste.”

The latest expansion of Asda’s initiative comes after the supermarket marked ten years of its partnership with the charity last November.

In that time Asda has saved 16,000 tonnes of surplus food from its stores and depots – the equivalent of over 38 million meals – which been redistributed by its network of over 8,500 charities.