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Auckland-based fresh vegetable supplier New Zealand Fresh Cuts claims to have become the first fresh produce company in the world to be fully recognised as carbon neutral.

According to the New Zealand Press Association, the company has been granted CarboNZero certification, having spent the last 14 months working with environmental development organisation Landcare Research and consultancy firm Green Carbon to 'measure, manage and mitigate' all of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by its business.

Excess emissions have apparently been offset through the purchase of carbon credits, which have been earned by a number of projects based in New Zealand such as windfarms or the reduction of methane produced by landfill sites.

NZ Fresh Cuts marked the occasion by giving away 'carbon neutral carrots' during a recent horticultural conference held in Auckland.

'It does not matter what you think about carbon footprints, the emissions trading scheme, they are a reality, ' the company's general manager Stephen Dench told NZPA. 'As an industry, we need to get our head around these issues and take a leading role globally.'

Mr Dench explained that the focus on reducing costs and waste meant the company had been able to invest in technologies to improve both its environmental and economic performance. 'There is a large number of positives for the business, the industry and the country,' he added.