Food Waste Action Week: Lidl GB's Food Waste Reduction Goals

Lidl operates across 31 countries with more than 382,400 employees worldwide, running approximately 12,600 stores alongside over 230 logistics centres and warehouses.

The retailer, which forms part of the Schwarz retail group, launched Lidl GB in 1994 and now maintains stores throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

The company has positioned itself as a key player in driving sustainability within the food and drink retail sector, with particular focus on expanding its food waste reduction initiatives.

Ambitious food waste targets

The supermarket has announced an enhanced food waste reduction target to coincide with Food Waste Action Week.

Following the successful achievement of its FY2025 objective – a 40% reduction in food waste – Lidl GB has increased its five-year target from 50% to 70% by 2030.

To support this ambitious goal, the company is expanding its partnership with the charity Neighbourly through a trial of its Surplus Saviours initiative across the Midlands from June to August 2025.

The scheme enables charity volunteers and customers to collect unsold surplus food, providing an opportunity for individuals to contribute to their local communities.

The trial could redistribute more than 5,000 tonnes of food to those in need, offering fresh and chilled items that are nearing their use-by dates.

Matt Juden-Bloomfield, Head of Sustainability at Lidl GB, says: "At Lidl, we set ambitious targets that challenge how we operate and inspire innovation when it comes to food waste.

"We've made good strides, but we know we can do more. With that in mind, we have increased our targets to ensure we remain accountable and also introduced some exciting new trials to take things to the next level.

"We remain committed to accelerating our progress in this space and collaborating closely with our industry peers to drive lasting impact for both the environment and the communities we are at the heart of."

Circular economy approaches

The retailer is also testing a new animal feed programme in the Peterborough region, designed to strengthen the circular economy.

This initiative involves Lidl repurposing unusable fresh bakery products, such as croissants and loaves of bread, to create animal feed.

Lidl GB has established a partnership with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a global environmental action NGO.

This collaboration focuses on identifying practical and data-driven methods to reduce waste across the supermarket's operations.

Estelle Herszenhorn, Director of Food System Transformation at WRAP, says: "Since 2015, Lidl GB has been an active and engaged signatory of WRAP's UK Food & Drink Pact.

"It has been fantastic seeing them offer loose fruits and vegetables and adopting best practice labelling. Both practices help shoppers reduce their household food waste.

"In-store, Lidl GB's initiative on matching bakery products with demand aligns with WRAP's priority of preventing food waste before it occurs.

"We are delighted to see increased paths for redistribution where food is surplus – a move WRAP also encourages."

In-store bakery innovations

Lidl has implemented updates to its in-store bakery operations to support its food waste reduction objectives.

The company is aligning the quantity of products with demand levels throughout the day, an approach which has contributed to a 30% reduction in bakery-related food waste during FY2025.

The Lidl Plus app offers customers a 20% discount on in-store bakery items after 7pm, further minimising the levels of food waste generated by the supermarket.

According to the company, Lidl GB has donated 50 million meals since 2016 as part of its broader sustainability efforts.

Its Feed it Back scheme operates by redistributing high-quality surplus food through its partnership with Neighbourly.

Each Lidl store across Great Britain is connected to local charitable causes, enabling the company to support as many people as possible throughout the nation.