Market Harborough’s Lidl teams up with app to give surplus food away for free
People in Market Harborough can get free food that would otherwise be thrown away from Lidl as the supermarket partners with food-sharing app Olio.
When charities cannot collect surplus food from the Lidl store, in Kettering Road, ‘food waste heroes’ from Olio will now step in and pick up the fresh produce, meat and bakery items before door close.
Instead of the products going to waste, items that can’t be held overnight go straight to local families, shelters, and community groups.
People are being called to sign up through the Olio app to volunteer to step in to make sure high-quality food goes straight to local people rather than going in the bin.
And volunteers who rescue the food can keep a maximum of 10 per cent of the items for their own households, while distributing the rest to neighbours via the app.
Georgina Hall, director of corporate affairs at Lidl GB, said: “Real change requires a community effort, and we are incredibly grateful to our store teams, charity partners and the dedicated Food Waste Heroes who are rescuing good quality food for those who need it most.
"With our sights set on a nationwide rollout by the end of this year, this expanding partnership will soon empower communities to rescue up to nearly 12 million meals every single year. This collaboration will make a huge impact on the lives of the most vulnerable in our communities everywhere.”