We’re delighted to announce that this month, we’ve rescued 100 million meals from going to waste since we were founded back in 2015 🥳
We’ve achieved this predominantly via our community surplus food redistribution solution – or Food Waste Heroes Programme – partners of which include major UK and Irish retailers like Tesco, Asda, Iceland, Holland & Barrett, Boots, and catering giant Compass Group UK & Ireland.
What 100 million meals means in real terms
In rescuing 100 million meals, Olio and our partners have 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 COO said this about the milestone: “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.”
The #1 food redistribution solution for businesses
OIio’s food redistribution solution for businesses relies on a network of 130,000 amazing 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.
An Olio user called Daniel says that “[Olio] has helped so much! I’ve found myself very hungry in recent challenging times, and it’s honestly a massive help to know that there’s help out there.”
Another user, called Shukur, said: “[Olio] has helped me through a tough time and it’s restored my faith in humanity. Food might not be a big deal for many but it is for those who don’t have it.”
Sounding the alarm for mandatory food waste reporting
Olio’s flagship partner was Tesco in 2019, but they’ve since expanded across a number of sectors, including catering and hospitality. Volunteers now collect surplus from nearly 9,000 sites in the UK and Ireland each month – including schools, offices, hospitals, hotels and restaurants – and even zoos and film sets.
Olio hopes to sustain this momentum in the coming months as the government re-opens its debate around mandatory food waste reporting for big businesses. Under the legislation, businesses would be required to publish data around the food they throw away, creating more accountability to address the tonnes of edible food that never gets eaten in the UK, and driving the need for more food redistribution.
Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO 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.”
