Free sharing app Olio says that volunteers have now stopped more than 30 million meals from going to waste, as a result of its partnership with Tesco.
Olio says the partnership works through its network of 80,000 volunteers collecting surplus food still fit for consumption from Tesco stores in their local community.
The volunteers then take it back to their homes and list items on the Olio app, so they’re ready to be redistributed for free to those living nearby. Local people can then request items via Olio’s app and pick them up from an agreed collection point.
In August 2020, Tesco became the first supermarket to partner with Olio. In the first year of the partnership, Olio says it helped Tesco save 5.8 million meals from being wasted.
We hope the success of our partnership with Tesco pushes other businesses to consider how they can take a more proactive approach to minimising waste.
Commenting on the partnership, Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder of Olio, said: “We are overjoyed that our partnership with Tesco has now resulted in 30 million meals saved, and that those meals have impacted the lives of so many families up and down the UK.
“We’re really grateful to our volunteers, who have been so crucial to the success of our founding partnership with Tesco. We’re proud to be working with a true pioneer in the retail sector.
“That said, there’s so much more the sector can do to fight food waste. We hope the success of our partnership with Tesco pushes other businesses to consider how they can take a more proactive approach to minimising waste, supporting local communities and ultimately mitigating against the worst effects of climate change.”
In 2013, Tesco voluntarily published its food waste data and, in September last year, Tesco announced it would be “accelerating” its plans to halve food waste in operations, bringing the commitment deadline forward from 2030 to 2025.
In 2022, Tesco also launched its Use Up Day campaign to encourage customers to reduce food waste at home, by using up any food they already have before doing their weekly shopping.
Olio says it also rolled out its new Multi-Collector and Waitlist programmes across the Tesco Group last year, working in partnership with charities to help Tesco redistribute surplus food for human consumption.
