Sainsbury’s has pledged to double the amount of British food it sells as part of a £1 billion sustainability plan launched this week.
The move is one of 20 targets set for 2020 that will include raising sales of fairly traded products to £1bn, halving packaging compared to 2005 and making suppliers leaders in social and environmental standards.
The 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan stretches across improving products, making operations more efficient, creating jobs and investing in communities.
The UK’s number-three retailer will now start working with suppliers to map these aims.
Sainsbury’s director of fresh and frozen foods Simon Twigger admits it will be a challenge in fresh produce but adds that “if it doesn’t feel scary, you haven’t come up with a big idea”.
He told FPJ: “We are already trying to increase sales of British produce and we know it can be done. We have tripled sales of British asparagus in three years, for example. And we still don’t have the British volumes we know we could sell on some items, like plums and blueberries. The principle is that we are going to have to grow with our producers if we are going to produce the extra that we need.”
NFU president Peter Kendall said the additional demand for UK produce “will send a really positive signal to the industry at a time when farmers are facing massive investment pressures”.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King launched the plan at the retailer’s HQ on Tuesday.
He said: “We felt that the commitments that we have made previously are coming close to completion so a longer time frame is appropriate now. That’s the strategic answer.
“There is a tactical answer. One of the things we have seen in the consumer downturn is that people have not abandoned their values and principles. I think we have seen a regalvanising of these issues and we wanted to re-present our brand to consumers.”
This comes in the same week that Sainsbury’s is rolling out its Brand Match initiative following a trial in 12 stores in Northern Ireland to ensure that customers don’t pay more for branded products than at Tesco or Asda.
King told stakeholders: “This is the first half of a simple idea: why would you shop anywhere else? If you get to the till and find that branded products are cheaper in Tesco or Asda, you get your money back instantly. How cool is that?
“The second part of the story is the launch of our corporate responsibility plan. There’s no reason to go anywhere else for your brands, but there’s every reason to go somewhere else - Sainsbury’s - when it comes to values.”
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