This new partnership will go live in March 2026, rolling out in phased groups of stores until the end of April. By Spring, every Sainsbury’s will be part of this approach.
What’s changing?
From March 2026, charities will begin collecting surplus food from Sainsbury’s stores using Olio’s app, newly developed for charities, to handle their collections.
Charities that have existing collections from Sainsbury’s will be transitioned over to Olio’s app, so their collections can continue without interruption.
With this new approach, all Sainsbury’s surplus food redistribution will be managed through the Olio app, so Sainsbury’s have oversight of all their collections in one system.
What does this mean for Olio Food Waste Heroes collecting from Sainsbury’s?
The short answer is - not much is changing for Food Waste Heroes, and your existing evening Olio collections will continue as normal 🎉
Food Waste Heroes will continue to collect Use by surplus in the evening, 15 minutes before store closing time, and charities will continue to collect Best before surplus during the day (12:00–17:30).
At some stores, if no charity is available to collect a daytime slot, Food Waste Heroes might see the opportunity to claim that slot as a one-off collection in the Volunteer Hub.
As Sainsbury’s stores start to transition to this new approach, you may notice:
Charities joining your Squad Chats
Some stores displaying daytime slots available to claim in the Volunteer Hub
Your store’s collection schedule clearly showing who is collecting and when (Food Waste Hero or a charity)
When charities join your Squad Chat, they won’t be required to proactively communicate about collections there, and Squad Captains and Food Waste Heroes don’t need to oversee charities that join, or monitor their collections.
Charities will also be uploading items to the app using a slightly different process to normal. Unlike Food Waste Hero collections, charities are only required to add one listing to the app to confirm their collection has taken place. This allows us to keep an accurate record of their pick-ups.
If you notice several volunteers using one single charity Olio account, don’t worry - that’s how we intend charities to use the app.
Like with any new process, there may be occasional teething issues that crop up while everything moves across to one system. But there’s nothing you need to do, and we’ll share updates via the app and in Squad Chats as stores transition over to this new approach.
Olio and FareShare are working closely together to make sure the transition is smooth for store colleagues, charities and volunteers - thanks for bearing with us while we get things started!
What does this mean for charities already collecting from Sainsbury’s?
Sainsbury’s wants to ensure the continuity of all pre-existing charity collections. Charities have been invited to make their collection schedules known to FareShare, so that collections can be mapped directly to your charity's Olio account.
The main difference will be that you’ll now manage your Sainsbury’s collections through the Olio app.
We’ll be running optional online training webinars for all charities transitioning over to use Olio for their collections, which will cover everything you need to know. Alternatively, you can complete your training by watching our induction modules on the Volunteer Hub , at a time that works for you.
Here’s a summary of how you’ll use Olio to manage your charity collections:
Confirming and coordinating your scheduled collections via Olio’s app
Recording completed collections by creating a charity collection listing (these listings are hidden from other Olio users)
Sharing feedback on your collection experience
If you previously collected from Sainsbury’s using another platform, please complete FareShare’s Expression of Interest form to make sure you can continue collecting from Sainsbury’s in future.
For support with the onboarding process, please contact [email protected].
For charities interested in joining Olio
Charities who want to start collecting from Sainsbury’s must apply through FareShare by completing the Expression of Interest form.
Once onboarded by FareShare, Olio will create your charity account and set you up on the Olio app.
Please note: this route currently provides access to Sainsbury’s collections only.
What happens next?
The rollout will take place across all Sainsbury’s stores in March and April 2026. Please continue your collections as normal until you hear from us with the exact changeover date for your store .
We’ll continue sharing updates via the app, and our forum.
We want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in this transition, from charity volunteers to Food Waste Heroes. You’re playing a crucial part in making this new partnership a success, and getting more good food to where it’s needed most.