A major supermarket has pledged to donate unsold food to local charities to help people in need.

Tesco's Community Food Connection programme will support vulnerable people in Edinburgh.

Its seven supermarkets in the city will use technology to alert foodbanks and other charities about surplus food items at the end of each day.

UK food redistribution charity FareShare will liaise with charities to check they can take the food, while an app developed by FoodCloud allows the stores and groups to communicate directly. Fresh produce and chilled products will be among the food available.

Edinburgh is one of the first cities in the UK to benefit from the new service. The initiative was launched at the Vine Trust barge in Leith on Monday.

Chef Adam Palmer gave a cookery demonstration at the event, which was attended by representatives and staff from Granton Youth Centre.

Tony McElroy, Tesco’s head of communications in Scotland, said: "No food that can be eaten should go to waste. We're working hard to make sure that the unsold food is made the most of."

Gillian Kynoch, head of FareShare in Scotland, said: "Our role as a trusted partner to the voluntary sector is really important to the charities and community groups we work with and we are excited to launch this new service with Tesco's support."

Charities and community groups across Edinburgh are invited to register to benefit from the scheme.