M&S claims that its Field to Fork initiative announced this week incorporates the most advanced set of fresh produce standards in the world and was unveiled on Tuesday at a meeting of suppliers.
Under Field to Fork, all of M&S's existing standards are integrated and further more explicit standards for the protection of the environment are defined. The initiative has taken 18 months to bring to fruition and was developed by the store's produce technologists "in partnership" with suppliers.
The Field to Fork code covers food safety in the field setting microbiological standards; pesticide minimisation and commitment to phase out 19 pesticides in addition to an existing ban 60; standards for hygienic packaging; integration of organic standards with high safety and quality requirements; and environmental standards that address soil management, water and energy use, waste management and chemical storage. The code also emphasises continued support for the work of Linking the Environment and Farming and bans the use of GM ingredients and derivatives. It also incorporates the store's commitment to deliver 100 per cent traceability.
M&S said at the launch that the standards will be implemented progressively over the next 18 months across the global supply chain.
"The new code will set standards in areas that we know are of great importance to our customers and will enable us to measure our performance on an ongoing basis," said a spokeswoman. "It will also help us to identify more easily future issues and areas of concern."
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