High street brand Greggs has officially opened its 40th outlet store, located in Edinburgh. This move is part of the solution to eradicate the issue of food waste that the chain has experienced in past years. On Glenalmond Place, under a mile from Wester Hailes train station, is the new store with a mission to redistribute surplus food at discounted prices. This effort to prevent products from being put in bins will create a profit, a portion of which has been promised to local charities through The Greggs Foundation charity.

First created in 1947, the eaterie's outlets have become a segment of the Greggs Pledge to give back to towns to build healthier communities. With 2.8 million sweet treats, 2.4 million savoury foods and 2.7 million sandwhiches bought from its outlets in 2024 alone, Gregg's outlet statistics show a 17% increase from the previous year and an estimated 45% of products redistributed.

With safety and the quality of products being tested, more of Greggs' food has become available at a lowered price - some of which include their infamous pizza and favoured cream cakes. In 2024, the brand even released their own light vans tasked to pick up excess food for nearby stores to encourage redistribution, writes The Grocer.

At the same time, Gregg's foundation presented 75 community grants, worth more than £1.85million, to food poverty organisations and charities wanting to minimise social isolation.

The CEO of Greggs, Roisin Currie, said: "Opening our 40th Outlet shop in Edinburgh reaffirms our commitments set out in the Greggs Pledge.

"By selling surplus fresh products at great value and reinvesting a share of the profits through the Greggs Foundation, we are able to help families and local charities across the country".

The foundation manager, Tracy Lynch, said: "The donations we recieve from Outlet shops plays a pivotal role in supporting our community grant programme, helping organisations tackle key challenges in their local area".

Lynch also shared that the "core funding grants" they can provide "strengthen community services and support teams to deliver for local people".