Through its redistribution partnership with giving platform Neighbourly, Lidl has expanded its collaboration with food-sharing app Olio in a bid to cut down on food waste.

The partnership will grow from 20 Lidl stores to nearly 200 across the UK.

When local charities can’t make late-evening collections, Olio’s volunteer ‘Food Waste Heroes’ step in to pick up surplus fresh produce, meat, and bakery items before doors close. Instead of going to waste, that food goes straight to local families, shelters, and community groups.

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A spokesperson for the discount supermarket said: “Our trial has already been rescuing 1,200kg of food every week. As we roll this out nationwide by the end of the year, we’re on track to save 5,000 tonnes of food annually – the equivalent of nearly 11.9 million meals.

“A massive thank you to our store teams and local volunteers making these pickups seamless every day.”

Last week, Iceland reported it had redistributed more than 10 million meals’ worth of surplus food since launching their Olio redistribution partnership in 2022.