McIlfatrick (c) receives the award from Lumley and Bolland

McIlfatrick (c) receives the award from Lumley and Bolland

Worldwide Fruit Ltd (WFL) has won the Marks & Spencer Plan A food supplier of the year award.

The retailer praised its supplier of apples, pears and avocados for its investment in increasing production efficiency and product quality while reducing energy consumption.

M&S said in a statement: “The company’s employees benefit from extensive training while growers are encouraged to adopt environmental best practice and generate improvements.”

M&S CEO Marc Bolland and actress Joanna Lumley, who fronts the retailer’s new clothes recycling campaign, presented WFL’s business unit manager Hannah McIlfatrick with the award.

WFL CEO Robert Balicki said: “We are immensely proud to have won this award and would like to thank our WFL colleagues, our suppliers and our growers for their hard work and dedication to our sustainability agenda. Winning this award will refocus WFL on taking forward Plan A both internally and across the whole supply base to move nearer to a sustainable supply chain.”