A supermarket is encouraging community groups to sign up to receive surplus food from their nearest store.

Tesco already distributes hundreds of thousands of meals to good causes every week as part of its Community Food Connection scheme, however the chain wants to hear from more groups and charities in the Braintree District.

Recipients of the joint Tesco and FareShare run scheme already include lunch clubs, school breakfast clubs and homelessness charities but more food is available for distribution, and Tesco is reaching out to groups who may be able to benefit.

Alec Brown, Tesco's head of community, said: "Community Food Connection is making a real difference in communities across the UK, but we know there are more groups that could receive food from the scheme.

“This is the biggest supermarket food redistribution scheme in the UK and I’d encourage any group looking to use food in their work to discover how they could benefit.”

Fresh fruit, vegetables, bakery products and chilled food are all available for distribution.

Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of FareShare, said: “We support many amazing frontline charities which use in date surplus food from Tesco at store level to feed thousands of vulnerable people.

"We know that the surplus food makes a real difference to the work of these groups, often saving them money which can go towards other valuable services.”

For more information, visit www.fareshare.org.uk/fareshare-go.