How Lidl GB & Neighbourly are Partnering to Fight Food Waste

As part of its wider food sustainability commitments, Lidl GB has announced a step forward in its partnership with Neighbourly.

The companies will introduce a new trial with the food-sharing app Olio, helping to redistribute surplus food.

This scheme is planned to be rolled out across the UK by the end of 2026.

What is the food waste scheme?

The new scheme will scale up Lidl GB and Neighbourly’s existing efforts to cut food waste and redistribute food.

Social impact platform Neighbourly will integrate Olio’s network of Food Waste Heroes into Lidl’s surplus food network.

This combines the strengths of both leading players in food redistribution.

The model, managed by Neighbourly, uses the Olio app which can be downloaded for free by customers.

Registered Food Waste Heroes can collect items from Lidl stores in the evenings, including chilled food, meat, fish and poultry, as well as bakery goods.

Customers can then share these items with their neighbours nearby, with the whole system operating for free.

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, says: “Our mission has always been to ensure as much edible surplus food as possible goes to those in our communities that need it most.

“By expanding the programme to evening collections and including Olio’s Food Waste Heroes, we are providing Lidl with a robust additional redistribution layer.

“This isn’t about diverting food away from charities, it’s about opening up new streams of chilled and fresh produce for them, while ensuring nothing goes to waste if a charity can’t make it.”

Trialling the scheme

The trial is set to launch on Friday, 15 May across 20 stores in London and Northern England.

If successful, the trial is expected to redistribute more than 5,000 tonnes of food, which is the equivalent of 11.9 million meals to those in need.

Lidl GB has ambitions for a national rollout of the scheme by the end of the year.

Saasha Celestial-One, Co-Founder and COO of Olio, says: “We’re delighted to be joining forces with Neighbourly and Lidl. 

“We’re looking forward to working together to maximise the amount of edible surplus that can reach local communities from Lidl stores and making sure as little food as possible goes to waste.

“We’re excited to see the impact of the trial and we know our volunteers will be thrilled to have the chance to rescue Lidl food via our app.”

How does this align with Lidl GB’s food waste goals?

In early 2026, Lidl GB announced that it had set a new food waste reduction target, after exceeding its FY2025 goal of achieving a 40% reduction in food waste.

It raised its five-year target from 50% to 70% by 2030.

It has also worked on updating its in-store bakery to help achieve its food waste reduction goals by aligning the amount of products to the level of demand throughout the day.

This has helped reduce its bakery-related food waste by 30% in FY2025.

In addition to this, the Lidl Plus app gives customers a 20% discount on in-store bakery items after 7pm, which further reduces the levels of food waste produced by the supermarket chain.

Matt Juden, Head of Sustainability at Lidl GB, says: “At Lidl GB, we believe that no good food should ever go to waste.

“While we have already made massive strides in reducing our surplus, this extension of our Neighbourly-managed programme allows us to have even more impact.

“It ensures that we are reaching every corner of the communities we serve, making sure edible food stays on plates and out of the bin.”