Invitation to register for surplus food scheme

The food is free and includes fresh produce, such as fruit, vegetables and bakery products, as well as chilled products.

Tesco’s Community Food Connection programme with FareShare FoodCloud links charities and groups to Tesco stores via an app.

Store teams can then alert them to unsold food items available at the end of each day.

Tesco is now extending the scheme to its convenience stores inBanbury.

Groups that benefit from the scheme include homeless shelters, substance abuse rehabilitation services, after-school clubs, foodbanks and domestic violence refuges.

The scheme forms part of Tesco’s commitment to reduce food waste, with the target that no food that is safe to eat will go to waste from its UK stores by the end of 2017.

Rob Lane, store director of Banbury’s Tesco Extra, said: “We’re so proud to already support local charities and community groups through Community Food Connection from our larger stores in Banbury and to be able to extend that support to our convenience stores is fantastic. We are looking forward to forging more strong links with local charities and community groups in Banbury, and supporting their efforts to help more vulnerable people in our community.”

Since launching a year ago, Tesco’s Community Food Connection has helped provide five million meals to over 3,300 groups and charities, including 2,819 meals in Banbury.

Charities and community groups can register for the scheme at www.fareshare.org.uk/fareshare-foodcloud