The first ”rescued food shop” in Scotland will open next month in Edinburgh’s city centre.

Food Sharing Edinburgh saved 193 tonnes of food from going to waste last year and are now opening their doors to the public at a new store on 22 Bread Street.

The volunteer-led group began in 2013 when students formed Food Sharing Edinburgh, which laterally grew into Food Sharing Scotland – a food waste ”revolution” that operates in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Stirling and Dumfries.

The organisation aims to connect businesses that have excess food – food that would otherwise be thrown away – with people that could eat it.

Their new store will offer a variety of food from a network of 30 partner businesses, including bakeries and supermarkets, and will be sold on a ”pay as you feel basis”.

They also facilitate the exchange of food between individuals on Facebook and help to organise Disco Soup, an event that brings people together with music and food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

On their website, the organisation draw attention to the figures that show an estimated 15 million tonnes of food is wasted in the UK every year.

And while around 800 million people globally go to sleep hungry, they could all be fed by the food Europe alone throws away.

The shop will open its doors on January 19 for a special welcoming party, you can find out more on Food Sharing Hub’s event page here.