Aldi is aiming to give away all surplus fresh food from its 775 UK stores to local charities this Christmas Eve.
The discounter launched its festive food donation scheme this week, calling on charities and food banks to register for the free donations.
The scheme will see charities and good causes paired with local stores, allowing them to collect perishable products such as fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, fish and bread after the store closes at 6pm.
Aldi is aiming to surpass the 450,000 meals donated to more than 300 charities across the UK last Christmas.
The initiative is an extension of Aldi’s existing food donations partnerships, which sees the supermarket work directly with FareShare and Company Shop throughout the year. The retailer has also pledged to reduce operational food waste by 50 per cent by 2030 as part of the Friends of Champions 12.3 network.
Fritz Walleczek, Aldi's managing director of corporate responsibility, said: “We’re starting our festive donations scheme even earlier this year to give as many charities as possible the opportunity to apply.
“We want to give something back to the communities that we serve at such an important time of year. Last year we were able to reach thousands of people across the UK, and some charities were even able to prepare fresh meals that fed families well into the New Year.”
