Lidl GB said on Wednesday that it will launch a trial with food-sharing app Olio across 20 stores in London and northern England from 15 May, expanding its partnership with Neighbourly as the supermarket seeks to cut food waste and increase redistribution of surplus food.

The scheme will allow Olio’s network of “Food Waste Heroes” volunteers to collect unsold chilled food, meat, fish, poultry and bakery products from Lidl stores in the evenings and distribute them to local residents through the Olio app. Neighbourly will continue to manage Lidl’s existing charity redistribution programme, with the new arrangement designed to support primary charity partners when collections cannot be made.

Lidl said the trial could redistribute more than 5,000 tonnes of food annually if rolled out more widely, equivalent to 11.9 million meals. The retailer plans to extend the programme nationwide by the end of 2026 if the pilot proves successful, supporting its target of reducing food waste by 70 per cent by the end of its 2030 financial year.

Matt Juden, head of sustainability at Lidl GB, said: “At Lidl GB, we believe that no good food should ever go to waste.” He added that the expansion of the retailer’s Neighbourly-managed programme would help ensure “edible food stays on plates and out of the bin”.

Steve Butterworth, chief executive of Neighbourly, said the initiative was intended to create “a robust additional redistribution layer” rather than redirect food away from charities. He said the model would help charities access more chilled and fresh produce while reducing the amount of edible food discarded when organisations are unable to collect surplus stock.

Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder and chief operating officer of Olio, said the company’s volunteers would “be thrilled to have the chance to rescue Lidl food via our app”. She said the partnership aimed to maximise the amount of edible surplus reaching local communities.

According to Lidl, the retailer has donated 50 million meals through its Feed it Back scheme with Neighbourly since 2016, linking all of its UK stores with local community groups and charities. The latest trial comes as supermarkets and food redistribution groups face increasing pressure to reduce waste and improve access to affordable food.

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