LIDL GB TO DONATE 250,000 MEALS TO LOCAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS OVER THE FESTIVE PERIOD

•    Lidl stores across the UK have donated 4.3 meals and over 1,800 tonnes of surplus food to good causes across Great Britain to date
•    1,500 local community projects have benefitted from Lidl’s food surplus redistribution programme, Feed It Back
•    Lidl calls on community projects that are interested in teaming up with a Lidl store to simply visit the Neighbourly website

Lidl GB is set to donate a selection of festive food items as part of their regular food donations to local charities and community groups this Christmas, which will equate to over 250,000 meals. 

Lidl GB has redistributed over 1,800 tonnes of surplus food from its stores across Great Britain, which equates to over 4.3m meals donated to more than 1,500 good causes to date. 

Through Lidl’s Feed It Back network, local organisations are kept up to date with the food that is available and can pick it up from Lidl as and when they need it, to use in whatever way they need to. From tackling poverty to addressing social isolation, the local community projects and volunteers provide comfort, company and nourishment; things everyone deserves, at any time of the year.

For Lidl store staff, it’s become second nature to save good surplus food to pass on and they’ve built up good relationships with these charities over time. “I’ve been working here nearly as long as the charities have been collecting food,” says Aly from the Arundel Road store in Brighton. “It’s become part of my routine now to set things aside, and I love knowing the impact it has.”

Christian Härtnagel, CEO at Lidl GB commented: “It’s important to us that each and every one of our stores has a positive impact on its community. That’s why we’re proud to work with Neighbourly, the food redistribution organisation connecting our stores with over 1,500 local charities, food banks and community groups who make good use of surplus food. This way, as well as cutting down on food waste, we’re able to support the important work these groups are doing for the people who need it most – particularly around Christmas time.”  

Steve Butterworth at Neighbourly, said: " “At Christmas, donating food is about more than providing meals, it’s about making a special effort to include the vulnerable people in our communities, to ensure they have the support they need”.
Lidl’s Feed it Back initiative was launched in 2017 and represents the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce food waste across its supply chain, and forms part of the supermarket’s ambitious goal of cutting food waste from stores by 25% per store by the end of 2020*. 

Any community projects that are interested in teaming up with a Lidl store can simply visit www.Neighbourly.com/FeedItBack or email lidl@neighbourly.com, to find out more about how to register. 

ENDS

Notes to Editors
•    *As part of its commitment to transparency, Lidl discloses the amount of food waste produced annually across its operations in England, Scotland and Wales. Food waste figures were released in August 2018
•    250,000 meals to be donated between 6th November and 25th December 2019.