We want everyone to use our 'very green grocery' in Crewe
A Crewe charity sells surplus food for £7 a shop, helping households save money and keep edible food out of landfill.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Changing Lives Together runs The Very Green Grocery in Crewe, where shoppers pay £7 for bags of surplus food that would otherwise be wasted. The charity says the model helps households cope with rising prices while cutting landfill.
A charity in Crewe runs a shop that sells extra food that shops do not want. People pay £7 and leave with a lot more food than that money would normally buy.
It works like a rescue mission for groceries. Instead of good food going in a skip, volunteers collect it and put it on shelves for anyone to buy.
This matters because food is expensive. For families trying to stretch their money, a cheaper shop can help a lot, like finding a backpack full of lunch for the price of one sandwich.
Analysis
A low-cost food outlet
Changing Lives Together runs The Very Green Grocery inside its ReUse Warehouse in Crewe, Cheshire. The charity buys or collects surplus stock from retailers and distributors, including over-supplies, short-dated items, and products with damaged packaging, then sells it to customers for a flat £7 shop.
Head of retail and grocery John O'Reilly says the aim is to stop usable food ending up in landfill and to offer an affordable shop for anyone who wants it. He says the charity is not a food bank and that “everybody is welcome,” with many customers coming for both value and the chance to rescue food from waste.
The grocery works with a limited selection system, where shoppers choose a set number of items from each section, including fresh fruit and vegetables, tinned and baked goods, and frozen foods. O'Reilly says the supply changes quickly because companies can contact the team at short notice, and staff and volunteer drivers can collect stock within hours.
The offer is clearly appealing to people facing higher living costs. Customer Tamyra Milne says the £7 shop is “ridiculously good,” and says her usual weekly shop would cost much more. The charity says most customers leave with goods worth about £30-£35 at retail value.
The model is expanding, but only gradually. The warehouse is open seven days a week, while the grocery itself currently opens twice weekly. The charity wants to extend opening hours and build a larger network of retailers and distributors willing to donate surplus stock. It already operates similar grocery sites in Northwich and Winsford.
Key points
- The Very Green Grocery sells surplus food in Crewe for £7 per shop.
- Changing Lives Together says the food would otherwise be wasted or sent to landfill.
- Customers can buy items from sections including fruit and veg, tinned goods, baked goods, and frozen food.
- The charity says most shoppers leave with goods worth about £30-£35 at retail value.
- The group wants more retailers to donate surplus stock so it can expand opening hours.
