News

Following a short pilot across the Trust’s six secondary schools, which saw just under 200 meals redistributed amongst numerous local families, Anglian Learning is set to implement the Olio scheme into the remaining nine primary schools by the end of this academic year.

Users of the Olio app will be able to request freshly prepared meals from surplus school lunches, for free, with the help of Olio’s ‘Food Waste Heroes’ volunteers. The partnership comes as Anglian Learning works to ‘significantly reduce’ its carbon footprint in line with the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.

Tessa Clarke, co-founder and chief executive of Olio, said: “We’re delighted to announce this new partnership with Anglian Learning, especially at a time when the severity of the cost of living (and climate) crisis is becoming clear to us all. 

“We know our community of Olio users will be thrilled to have access to delicious food from local schools that would otherwise have gone to waste, and we look forward to building on the great work Anglian Learning is doing across East Anglia.”

Launched in 2015 with the sole purpose of tackling food waste, Olio now has more than 8 million users worldwide, and a UK network of over 77,000 food waste heroes.

Charity Main, chief operating officer at Anglian Learning, added: “We are passionate about the difference that high quality education can make to all young people, their families and their communities. We know that a part of that high-quality experience is being an active and connected member of our community. 

“This partnership with Impact Food Group and Olio builds on the work we are doing even further and allows us to ensure that any of our resources do not go to waste and can be redistributed in the community for the good of our planet, while supporting local families.”