Olio is a community-based free food sharing app. As part of the partnership, more than 8,000 Olio volunteers visit Tesco stores to collect surplus food nearing its sell-by date.

The food is taken back to their homes where they’re uploaded onto the app.

Anyone downloading the free Olio app (iOS, Android or via www.olioex.com) will then be able to see the goods and can arrange to collect them for free, via non-contact pick-up. Olio said there’s no eligibility criteria to meet, so anyone can request the food.

Olio said it is registered with the Food Standards Agency which ensures all food collected is safe for human consumption.

The volunteers, known as ‘food waster heroes’ are allowed to keep up to 10% of what they collect.

The partnership comes after a successful six month trial this year, at 250 Tesco stores which had the most food surplus and which saw a high rate of pick up.

It resulted in nearly 195,000 portions of food being saved and nearly 4,200 people being fed.

It also builds on Tesco’s existing food surplus donations programme, including its Community Food Connection scheme with FareShare, which already sees it donate two million meals every month to food charities across the UK.

Tesco head of communities, Claire De Silva, said: “We are very proud of our food waste work and our Community Food Connection scheme with FareShare helps thousands of charities every week.

“Right now we want to make sure that any surplus food is being managed and people who need it have access to it.

“The results of our initial trial were very positive and have allowed us to further roll out the partnership in our commitment to make sure no good food goes to waste.”

Olio co-founder, Tessa Clarke, said: “Our partnership with Tesco means that more people than ever before will be able to benefit from access to surplus food.

“They’ll also be joining our community of neighbours who not only support one another, but also believe that every little counts in the fight against food waste.”