M&S is to trial giving platform Neighbourly’s new ‘Surplus Saviours’ food initiative, in a UK retailer first.

The individual redistribution scheme will allow people to collect unsold food donations from Neighbourly’s supermarket and cafe partners for the first time. The free surplus food will be available from sites where smaller amounts of food, or collection times, are more suitable for users of the service.

The trial comes as the Food Hygiene Focus Group is updating the guidance for charitable organisations collecting surplus Use-By-Date (UBD) food on its expiry date.

As a result of Neighbourly’s work in partnership with Primary Authority partner Cornwall Council, the guidance for charities can now be brought in line with consumer guidance for ‘freeze-by’ timings, meaning freezable items can now be placed in the freezer by midnight on the use-by day.

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This change means charities collecting surplus food will now be able to access fresh and chilled Use-By-Date items later in the evening, aligning with late closing times for many retailers across the country.

It is predicted that the change will make two million more meals available to be redistributed from UK supermarkets every week.

Neighbourly chief executive Steve Butterworth said: “These are two vital and timely initiatives in our mission to make it easier for businesses to make environmental strides when it comes to surplus redistribution, and for communities to have access to valuable resources rather than have them go to waste.

“The most requested items from our network are food and fresh produce, with 50% of local good causes saying there are people they simply can’t help due to limitations in capacity and funding. Unlocking ways to make our economy more circular is paramount.”

Last month, Aldi and M&S were among several major UK businesses collaborating to unlock support for community groups and charities amid rising demand.

As part of Neighbourly’s ‘GoGive’ campaign, the retailers worked to meet a goal of delivering £1m in financial support, facilitating 5,000 hours of volunteering and redistributing 18 million meals worth of surplus food, that looked to positively impact over 5,000 local causes.