Supermarkets need to work harder to make their businesses environmentally friendly, environment secretary David Miliband has told the UK’s top retailers.
At a meeting for the department of environment, food and rural affairs attended by top officials from the ‘big four’ supermarkets, including Justin King and Sir Ken Morrison, Miliband said: “The food industry has the potential to significantly affect our fragile environment, but it is also in the unique position of being able to make a major positive contribution to reducing our environmental footprint.”
“How they plan to provide clearer, more accessible guidance and information to consumers to help them evaluate the 'greenness' of electrical products on sale, by using their purchasing power to influence the range of products available to consumers”.
According to the Guardian, Miliband also demanded that supermarkets meet targets for reducing carbon emissions and asked how they could include more in-season, local food.
The meeting pre-empted the publication of the latest set of Defra figures, which paint a worrying picture for food transport and the environment. Research shows CO2 emissions from road and airfreighted food were up six per cent in 2004 - reaching 18 million metric tones. An emissions increase of 15 per cent was recorded over the decade ending 2002.
Airfreighted food, predominantly fruit and vegetables, came out particularly badly, only making up 0.1 per cent of total food miles but accounting for 13 per cent of total food transport CO2 emissions.
