Tesco has announced a strengthening of the environmental standards required by its 14,000 fresh produce growers, by implementing the LEAF Marque environmental assurance scheme across its entire global produce supply chain.
The retailer will ensure all UK growers are certified by the end of 2022 and will begin the process of certifying the rest of its global grower base from 2023, with the aim of completing the transformation by 2025. The scale of the roll-out is unprecedented among LEAF’s existing supply base.
Ashwin Prasad, Chief Product Officer at Tesco, said: “In this decade of action on climate and nature, it’s vital we do all we can to produce food more sustainably. Implementing the LEAF marque Standard will help drive environmental improvements across thousands of growers and suppliers, both here in the UK and globally. But we can’t achieve the transformational change needed alone – we’re calling on the whole of the food industry to join us in raising environmental standards to ensure the food we eat is produced sustainably.”
Caroline Drummond, LEAF Chief Executive, said: “This is a hugely significant and transformative moment in LEAF’s 30-year history. Tesco’s commitment will bring real and lasting changes in food production and offer assurance to consumers that their purchasing decisions are having a positive impact on our climate. We are extremely excited as we embark on this landmark relationship. Together, we will continue to “raise the bar” for the good of our planet and future generations.’’
For more information:
Linking Environment And Farming
www.leaf.eco