Lidl is expanding its UK food redistribution programme through a new partnership with food-sharing platform Olio, adding a second distribution layer to its existing collaboration with charity matching platform Neighbourly. The move aims to capture surplus food that cannot be collected by charities. The trial, which started last Friday, will run for four weeks across 20 stores in the Newton Aycliffe and Luton regions of England.
Lidl has worked with Neighbourly since 2017, when the discounter launched its ‘Feed it Back’ initiative. Through the platform, Lidl stores are matched with nearby charities and community organisations that collect unsold food, typically at the end of the day. The programme now connects Lidl’s UK stores with more than a thousand local organisations, including food banks, community cafés and soup kitchens.
However, charity collections do not always capture all surplus food generated in stores. The partnership with Olio is designed to close that gap. With the solution, Olio’s network of volunteers will collect remaining surplus food from participating Lidl stores when a charity can’t make a collection.
Volunteers collect remaining surplus
After pick-up, volunteers list the items on the Olio app, allowing people in the surrounding neighbourhood to reserve and collect the food free of charge. The process does not require integration with Lidl’s inventory systems, as items are listed manually by volunteers after collection rather than being generated through a live data feed from store technology. In return, the volunteers can keep 10 per cent of the goods for their own use.
Collections with Olio take place in 15-minute windows at store closing time. The evening pick-ups focus on items approaching Best Before dates, as well as fresh bakery products made in stores. Staff at Lidl first separate unsold items at the end of the day, setting aside products that are still safe to consume but cannot be sold the following day. These items are then collected by Olio volunteers, who are verified by store staff using a collection code and volunteer ID.
Lidl prepares for wider rollout
The initiative is being trialled across 20 Lidl stores in the UK over a period of four weeks. For Lidl, the move is part of a broader strategy to reduce operational food waste. The retailer has set a target of cutting food waste across its operations by 70 per cent by 2030. Lidl expects to redistribute over 5,000 tonnes of food annually with the combined use of Olio and Neighbourly and is already preparing for a wider rollout by the end of this year.
Similar initiatives are increasingly being adopted across the grocery sector, as retailers combine charity distribution programmes with digital platforms to minimise food waste and extend the reach of surplus food within local communities.
Iceland tests real-time discount alerts
In 2025, British retailer Iceland has launched a nationwide initiative to reduce food waste with Olio and technology start-up Gander, as The Retail Optimiser reported. With the solution, consumers receive real-time notifications via the apps from both partners when products nearing their expiry date are discounted at their local Iceland store.
Iceland began its partnership with Olio in 2022, adopting the same volunteer programme as Lidl. Before the retailer started advertising specific surplus products on the Gander and Olio apps, it already allowed Olio volunteers to pick up items before the expiration date to give them away to people in their neighbourhood.
