British retailer Marks & Spencer has announced that it will give surplus food to charity, in a bid to reduce its food waste.
The group said that it will connect 150 of its stores with local charities from December, before rolling the scheme out in all stores in spring 2016.
Food charities that sign up to be involved will receive food that is nearing its expiry date. Neighbourly, a social enterprise scheme that connects businesses with community projects, has teamed up with M&S on the project.
The move follows similar schemes launched by rivals Tesco and Sainsbury's, and Marks & Spencer will become the first major retailer to provide live updates on the number of tonnes of surplus food that it distributes.
The new initiative is part of the group's 'Plan A' target of reducing waste by 20 per cent by 2020. UK supermarkets are estimated to waste 200,000 tonnes of food per year, according to the Waste Resources Action Programme.
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