UK supermarket Co-op partners with Microsoft to tackle food waste

Every year, around 1.1 million metric tons of food go to waste across the UK's food retail and hospitality industries. British supermarket Co-op is now partnering with Microsoft to create a not-for-profit digital platform that makes it easier to connect supermarkets and restaurants with community groups that can help distribute surplus food to those who need it.

Their new initiative is Caboodle, which enables fast and flexible scheduling of food pick-ups by charities and volunteers. While other systems require food-savers to log on daily to book slots, Caboodle allows for indefinite booking ahead of time, with the ability to skip days or weeks if demand is low. Live notifications alert groups when more slots are available, and they'll also be able to recruit volunteers through the platform's digital noticeboard.

Currently, Co-op stores in 100 Northern Ireland, Milton Keynes and London are piloting Caboodle, with another 2,500 food stores to join next month. While Co-op is kicking off, the system was created to be accessible to all food retailers, restaurants and cafés.