When Aldi rolled-out its partnership with food waste app Too Good To Go to all its 990 UK stores it was a move that highlighted how massive this environmental issue is for grocery retailers and food service businesses and how they are increasingly turning to technology to help them address the problem.

The app-based Too Good To Go solution involves retailers listed on the app discounted ‘Magic Bags’ containing various food products that would otherwise be heading for the bin. Shoppers can order these bags from their local stores for collection some time later. For Aldi the move is expected to prevent it from putting as much as 4,000 tonnes of unwanted food into landfill annually.

The Aldi stores are among 10,000 grocery outlets in the UK that Too Good To Go currently works with, which includes those of Morrison’s, Spar, and Co-op as well as lots of small independents.

The company operates across various European counties with France its leading territory, according to Sophie Trueman, UK MD for UK & Ireland at Too Good To Go, who has stated: “We’re present in seven countries across the globe and in markets such as France, there’s certain limitations around what businesses can legally throw away, which means they’re much more engaged in that area.” 

Major grocery retailers are also adopting the app-based solution from Olio that involves a network of ‘Food Waste Hero’ volunteers partnering with food retail stores to collect unwanted food that they then post on the app for collection for free by people in the local community.

The company has partnered with the likes of Tesco, Pret A Manger, Iceland, One Stop and Booker in the UK along with many other food retailers around the globe. According to Tesco the initiative has helped it so far save as many as 30 million meals from going to waste. 

Saasha Celestila-One, co-founder of Olio, says: “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.”