Lidl Expands Surplus Food Redistribution to 200 Stores

Lidl Great Britain Limited expanded its surplus food redistribution partnership with Neighbourly and the food-sharing app Olio to nearly 200 stores. The program utilizes Olio's trained volunteers, called Food Waste Heroes, to collect unsold chilled and bakery items during late-evening windows when traditional charities are unavailable. These groceries are then listed on the Olio app for free community collection.

The expansion follows a 20-store trial that diverted approximately 1,200kg of food waste weekly. Once fully implemented, the company expects the program to save 5,000 tonnes of food annually. Lidl estimates this volume is sufficient to provide nearly 11.9 million meals.