I filled an entire table with FREE food from Tesco thanks to an easy hack anyone can do – I shared it with neighbours
A TESCO shopper has revealed how they picked up so much free food from the supermarket that it filled their kitchen table.
The lucky customer used a food-waste app that they downloaded without paying a penny and got so many items they shared them with neighbours.
They uploaded a photo of their haul to the Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK.
The Tesco bargains they swiped included sandwiches which had been £3, multiple packs of yogurts, donuts, mashed potatoes, salads and falafels.
They wrote: “All this was free along with another two bagfuls, shared with my neighbours.
“Have a look for an app called Olio.”
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Tesco has partnered with Olio to hand out free food that would otherwise go to waste.
The free food is close to its expiry date but Olio is registered with the Food Standards Agency to make sure it is still safe to eat when its collected.
Volunteers sign up to be Olio food waste heroes, and are assigned a slot to collect surplus food from their local Tesco store.
They then bring it home and list it on the Olio app for their neighbours to collect for free.
Many Facebook users were impressed at the man’s freebies, with one writing: “I use Olio and can't fault it.
“Have a regular lady who messages me to say she's uploading food and when.
“Last night's dinner was amazing thanks to her.”
Another wrote: “I must join. This is wonderful. That you could do this for yourself and others.”
Tesco initially trialled the food-waste scheme in 250 stores, but it has since been rolled out to all of its sites across the UK.
While the groceries are completely free, there is often limited availability and no guarantee what will be on offer.
This is because Tesco hands out surplus food to charities before any spare groceries are given to Olio.
Tesco runs surplus food donations programme, like the Community Food Connection scheme with Fare Share.
How to use the Olio app to get free Tesco groceries
First of all, you'll need to download the Olio app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Then you should sign up - you'll need to share details including your email address and location so the app can find your nearest available free food.
Once you've made an account you will be able to find Tesco groceries using the search bar in the app.
This will bring up all the Tesco food being given away in your local area.
You then have to press the "request this" button, and message the volunteer to arrange a time and place to collect your freebies.
This student managed to save £70 on her weekly food shop with clever hacks, including food-sharing apps.Another Olio fan was able to get an entire picnic for free using the app, and this mum revealed her huge food-sharing haul.
All Tesco stores that don't have daily charity collections now have scheduled Olio pick-ups.
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The app said that if a charity is able to take on collection days currently assigned to Olio, the charity will take priority.
Morrisons has been running a similar scheme with the Too Good To Go app, with one mum bagging £25 worth of food for just £3.