A SUPERMARKET and cookery club in Innerleithen have teamed up to give away food that has reached its sell-by date – and prevent it going to landfill.

You Can Cook joined forces with the local Co-op to provide a new fridge-freezer allowing shoppers to help themselves to out-of-date items and reduce food waste.

The new unit will be located at the main entrance of the store in Peebles Road, and will be stocked regularly by staff.

Bosco Santimano from You Can Cook told us: “Customers are invited to check for any food that they may want to use rather than it ending up in landfills. 

“You Can Cook has been working with the local community of Walkerburn and Innerleithen for more than six years by organising and running cookery classes, gardening clubs, composting and reducing food waste workshops.”

Statistics show that food waste costs £1 billion a year in Scotland alone, with 30 per cent of supermarket food thrown away.

And organisers of the new scheme in Innerleithen want to drive that figure down.

Bosco added: “One of the aims of this initiative is to help food waste going into landfills which in turn contributes to climate change and global warming.”

You Can Cook is also offering locals the chance to get a free Kitchen Canny pack worth £10 – which helps reduce waste from meals.

And there is also a chance to take part in a support session.
Contact Alex Wilson, project development officer, on 07722808830 or email alex@youcancook.org.uk by the end of February.

Limited availability and allocation is on a first come first serve basis.