Lidl GB Raises Five-Year Food Waste Reduction Target To 70%

The discounter added that it plans to extend its partnership with Neighbourly to drive the next phase of food waste reduction.

It will trial the charity’s Surplus Saviours initiative this summer in the Midlands.

The redistribution scheme allows registered individuals – including charity volunteers and customers – to collect unsold surplus food, building on the partnerships Lidl stores already have with registered charities and helping even more people support their local communities.

The trial is expected to redistribute more than 5,000 tonnes of food to those in need, with extended collection times and access to fresh and chilled items approaching their use‑by date later in the evening.

Moreover, Lidl has also strengthened its circular economy credentials with a new animal feed trial in the Peterborough region.

As part of the trial, Lidl GB will divert inedible fresh bakery lines, including everything from croissants to bread loaves, to create animal feed.

‘Ambitious Targets’

Matt Juden-Bloomfield, head of sustainability at Lidl GB, said, “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.”

Lidl GB also collaborates with WRAP to identify practical data‑driven ways to cut waste.

Estelle Herszenhorn, director of food system transformation at WRAP, said, “For the past 10 years, 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.”

Food Waste Reduction

Lidl GB noted that it implemented measures to ensure that the amount of products aligns with demand at its in-store bakery.

This initiative helped the retailer reduce bakery-related food waste by 30% last year.

In addition, it also introduced 20% off all in-store bakery items after 7 pm.

Since 2016, Lidl GB has also donated 50 million meals by redistributing surplus food through its Feed it Back scheme, delivered in partnership with Neighbourly.

Every Lidl store in the UK is linked to local good causes, with processes in place to ensure that surplus food is donated.