Surplus groceries are being given a second life thanks to a growing partnership between Lidl, Neighbourly, and food-sharing app Olio.
An expanded scheme now covers nearly 200 stores, connecting free surplus food with communities through volunteer collections.
The groceries are then made available via Olio’s app for people to collect at no cost.
Kelly Stallwood, deputy manager at Buzzee Beez Pre-school Food Scheme, said: "These new evening collections of chilled and bakery items have been so beneficial to the families we support in the pre-school.
"Whether they have new babies arriving, are struggling with the rising cost of living, or simply want to support reducing food waste, the reaction has been fantastic.
"In the pre-school, we support over 50 families, so this surplus food really helps make a difference."
The scheme builds on a successful trial across 20 stores which diverted around 1,200kg of food waste each week.
Once fully rolled out, it is expected to save 5,000 tonnes of food annually—enough to provide nearly 11.9 million meals.
The programme relies on Olio’s trained volunteers, known as Food Waste Heroes, who collect unsold food for redistribution when charities are unable to make late-evening collections.
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