Sainsbury’s is set to crank up its environmental expectations further in response to consumer demands.
Jat Sahota, the supermarket’s category manager for fruit, said that the company’s revamped corporate responsibility statement put environmental responsibility, sourcing with integrity, being number one for food and health and showing respect for the environment as top of its list of priorities.
Sahota explained that part of this approach was to become residue free, a position he said the firm was working towards by forming crop action groups to work together with technical teams from Sainsbury’s and suppliers. All the company’s fruit and vegetables must also be EurepGap accredited.
In a potentially controversial move, the retailer will be publishing a list of banned and restricted chemicals in July.
Sahota said that its position would result in far fewer residues, adding that it would be ‘shouting about these good results’.
As an example of success in this area, he cited leeks, where the revocation of chlorpyrifos left growers with a problem in fighting thrips. Sahota said a more environmentally friendly solution had been found using water at the right times in the life cycle to drown the pests.
On the subject of the ‘air miles vs fair miles’ debate, Sahota said that Sainsbury’s has commissioned a study by Canfield University in association with World Flowers to help clarify its position.
In any case the retailer is supporting UK agriculture through initiatives such as Operation Bumblebee and the Concept Orchard, he added.
Sahota also spoke about promotion, and pertinently, said that he did not believe that the 5-a-Day campaign had been completely successful, as most people only ate around two portions per day, and then largely fruit. Instead he called for ‘joined up thinking’ to get the health message across, and warned growers that if this was not in suppliers healthy eating agenda yet, they will be asked for it shortly.
No comments yet