Audit-sharing organisation Sedex is making a concerted push to gain retailers and suppliers after sustained growth in the last year.
The not-for-profit membership organisation has Tesco, Sainsbury’s Waitrose, Aldi UK and The Co-operative signed up with a plethora of produce suppliers from across the globe.
Sedex collates data from suppliers and allows it to be viewed, on request, through a company’s supply chain.
In its annual review for 2009-10, it said its member growth has spiralled rapidly with 555 new sites in the UK active on Sedex in the period, second to China with 1,734 and ahead of India (308).
The body is in talks with the Business Social Compliance Initiative in Europe, as well as GlobalGAP, over collaboration and reducing duplication.
In its annual review, Sedex stated it is targeting an expansion of its helpdesk service (it has 32 staff in the UK and China, eight of which are helpdesk), an increase in member engagement and developing system upgrades.
Produce is the largest category of goods that the website covers with a 22.4 per cent share and a 20.8 per cent increase in B members in the last year has included a considerable number of fresh produce suppliers.
The top five problems businesses fell foul of in the audits related to management systems, weekly rest days, the level of overtime worked, payment of minimum wages and the storage and use of chemicals.
Sedex chairman Tony Kemmer said: We are committed to getting closer to our members this year and will do this by improving our communications, including the launch of a new website; meeting with members regularly.
As part of our strategy to encourage collaboration we will continue to work wit other industry bodies with the aim of developing partnerships that can benefit our members and the wider community.
A spokesperson told freshinfo the organisation had also seen a considerable increase in members from the packaging sector.
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