UNITED KINGDOM - Retail industry powers have come together in the United Kingdom in the name of reducing food waste. Through a partnership with Company Shop Group, Aldi UK’s network of regional distribution centers will now be helping to redistribute surplus food that cannot be sold in its stores via Community Shop stores across the U.K.

“Reducing food waste is incredibly important to us, and we know that by rolling this scheme out nationally, it will make a huge difference to communities across the U.K.,” Liz Fox, Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK, said. “The work that Community Shop does is vital to so many people and, sadly, the demand it is seeing for surplus food is currently higher than ever. By extending our partnership with them, we can make a positive difference together.”

Company Shop Group is a leading redistributor of surplus food and household products, a press release stated. The food that is collected from Aldi’s distribution centers will be redistributed to the Group’s Community Shops across the country, where items will be sold at discounted prices.

Since first collaborating in 2015, Company Shop Group has helped Aldi prevent over 14,700 tonnes of food going to waste, with this new national rollout estimated to prevent a further 2,860 tonnes of food from going to waste each year, a press release stated.

“We’ve worked with Aldi for a long time now and are incredibly excited to be able to extend our partnership with them,” Gary Stott, Executive Chairman, Community Shop, added. “The surplus stock that we redistribute through Community Shop is a lifeline for so many people, and by rolling out the partnership nationally, we can deliver positive impacts for people and communities on a much greater scale.”

As we continue to see the industry find new solutions to reducing food waste, ANUK will be sure to report.

Aldi