Aldi has launched ‘colleague shops’ across the country to give employees working in its offices and warehouses the chance to buy products that cannot be sold in store.

The move is part of the discounter’s efforts to reduce food waste.
Aldi said the scheme ensures products that are still perfectly good to consume find a home instead of going to waste.

The company expects to prevent an estimated 240 tonnes of food waste each year through the scheme.

The colleague shops have been launched following a successful trial at the Darlington Regional Distribution Centre.

Aldi said the scheme is now being rolled out across all of its 11 regional distribution centres nationwide.

“The colleague shop is another example of how we’re working to cut food waste across our operations,” said Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK. “It’s a practical initiative that benefits both colleagues and the environment, and we’re pleased to extend it nationwide following a successful pilot.”

Aldi claims it reduced food waste within its operations by 57 per cent in 2022 compared to 2017, successfully meeting its 2030 target eight years ahead of schedule.

Following this achievement, the company revised its targets and is now aiming to reduce food waste by 90 per cent by 2030, against a 2017 baseline.

The move comes as several other UK and European supermarkets take taken steps to reduce food waste.

On Thursday, Central Co-op revealed that it had prevented more than 8,000 tonnes of food waste over the past three years thanks to the rollout of an AI-driven tool.

Last month, Dutch-Belgian supermarket chain Albert Heijn announced it has integrated smart technology in its app to reduce food waste.

Through the app, the supermarket is offering extra discounts on products with a short shelf life, or which have been discontinued.

The supermarket’s platform displays which items have been discounted and how many are available before they visit a store.

Last Chance Bargains is part of the supermarket’s aim of reducing food waste by 50 per cent by 2030 compared to 2016.

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