Iceland Foods and food sharing app Olio have redistributed more than 10 million meals’ worth of surplus food since launching their redistribution programme in 2022.
Through the partnership, surplus food from more than 1,000 Iceland and The Food Warehouse stores have reached over 165,000 households across the UK via Olio’s Food Waste Hero programme.
Over the past four years, more than 45,000 Olio volunteers, known as Food Waste Heroes, have collected surplus food from stores and redistributed it within their local communities.
The milestone comes as the pair celebrate one year since the launch of the frozen food retailer’s national reduced food initiative. Launched in partnership with food waste reduction platform Gander, it looks to offer shoppers discounted groceries.
Following successful trials in Bristol and London, Iceland’s yellow sticker reductions were made available to view through the Olio app, alerting its five million UK users to discounted groceries at their local store.
Since launch, more than 47 million Iceland reduced food listings have been added to the Olio app, with each listing receiving an average of 23 unique impressions.
“Reaching 10 million meals redistributed with Olio is a fantastic milestone and demonstrates the impact that can be achieved when businesses and communities work together to make sure good food is eaten, not wasted,” said Iceland Foods director of product, process and sustainability Stuart Lendrum.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved through this partnership over the past four years, helping surplus food reach local households while supporting our commitment to doing the right thing for customers, communities and the planet.”
Olio COO and co-founder Saasha Celestial-One added: “It’s incredible to see that, through Iceland’s commitment to reducing food waste and the dedication of 45,000 Food Waste Heroes, we’ve been able to share 10 million meals with local households, instead of that food going to waste.
“Retailers have a crucial role to play in building a more sustainable food system, and we’re proud to partner with organisations like Iceland that are leading the way. Together, we’ve shown how technology and community action can deliver real impact for people and the planet. Here’s to the next 10 million meals.”
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