Page 31 Sustainable products
The best of British
Waitrose makes support for British farmers the rule rather than the exception, and places them at the heart of our business by offering them fair prices, nurturing long-term relationships and helping them reinvest in their businesses. All our beef, venison, duck, goose, milk, cream and eggs are British, while all our turkey comes from Britain or Ireland, as does our lamb when it is in season. And by the end of October 2008, we will use only tender British chicken in Waitrose food.
Our message to consumers in 2007 – promoting British farming and highlighting seasonal food – helped to connect our customers with the people who produce the food they eat, and was aided by holding twice as many 'Meet the Buyer' and 'Meet the Farmer' events.
In conjunction with Country Living magazine, we launched a major consumer awareness campaign called 'Fair Trade for British Farmers' in 2007. Slogans such as 'no cows = no countryside' and 'no farms = no fields' reinforced the message that to preserve the rural economy, farmers need to receive a decent price for their produce. To protect British farmers from price volatility in a challenging market, we introduced new baseline prices for beef and lamb, well above the market rate, in late 2007, and outlined structured price increases over the next 18 months to help farmers to plan ahead more confidently. The move, a first for a British supermarket, has been welcomed by the National Farmers' Union and builds on our policy of building long-term partnerships with our suppliers to secure a sustainable supply of homegrown produce. Waitrose's work on supporting British farmers earned us the Consumer Initiative of the Year title at The Grocer Gold Awards in June 2008. See page 40 for more information.
"I am passionate about supporting British farmers and growers, and believe we do more than any other retailer to support British agriculture."
Mark Price Managing Director, Waitrose
(Picture of a bag of soya beans)
Waitrose supports a Greenpeace-led moratorium to combat deforestation in the Amazon for the cultivation and sourcing of soya.
(Picture of a palm leaf)
We do not directly source palm oil, a versatile raw material and ingredient used in hundreds of food products. However, Waitrose is a member of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) which is committed to promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil.
Fairtrade
In addition to working to ensure our own-label products are traded fairly, we also support established schemes such as Fairtrade, which contribute to the sustainable development of the communities where farmers and workers live. An estimated 7.5 million people in the developing world benefit from the sale of Fairtrade items, which guarantee a minimum price to cover production costs plus a 'Fairtrade premium' to be reinvested in farmers' businesses or the workers' local community.
Now covering over 3,000 products from footballs to flowers, Fairtrade sales in the UK exceeded £490 million in 2007, an increase of 73%. During the same period, our Fairtrade sales rose by 76%, as we launched Fairtrade sugar, cereal bars and ice cream, and Fairtrade tea, coffee and sugar available in our cafés. In spring 2008, we again supported Fairtrade Fortnight with in-store and online promotions.
(Fairtrade logo)
Our 180 Fairtrade lines, including coffee, chocolate, bananas, roses and wine, give us a 15% share of the UK market.
Further information
>
www.soilassociation.org Organic farming standards
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www.leafuk.org LEAF
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www.farmsunday.org Open Farm Sunday
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www.greenpeace.org.uk Greenpeace
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www.fairtrade.org.uk Fairtrade Foundation
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www.msc.org and
www.mcsuk.org Marine Stewardship Council and Marine Conservation Society
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www.rspca.org.uk Animal welfare
>
www.rspo.org Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
>
www.waitrose.com/ourcompany/leckfordestate.aspx Leckford Estate
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