The milestone has been achieved via the community surplus food redistribution solution, partners of which include Tesco, Asda and Iceland as well as catering giant Compass Group UK & Ireland.

OIio’s food redistribution solution for businesses relies on a network of 130,000 volunteers called Food Waste Heroes, who complete thorough food safety training before signing up to collect food from businesses in their local area. 

They then take food home and upload it to Olio’s app, for local people to request and collect. Rather than just being for those in need, food shared on Olio is for everyone. This is so that there’s less stigma around accessing free food for people who would rather not sign on to a food bank. 

Tessa Clarke, co-founder and chief executive of Olio said: “This milestone represents more than just numbers – it’s a testament to the power of collective action in fighting food waste. Each meal rescued is a step toward a better future.”

Olio has been able to:

• Save approximately £183 million worth of food from the bin (enough to pay for a weekly food shop for 1.24 million families)
• Save 31 billion litres of water (enough to fill 12,400 Olympic swimming pools)
• Prevent 177,715 tonnes of CO2 emissions (equivalent to cancelling out 177,600 passenger flights from London to New York)

Saasha Celestial-One, Olio’s co-founder and chief operating officer, added: “We’re incredibly proud to work with partners who share our vision to end food waste. Together, we’re proving that stopping food waste at scale is possible.”