Waitrose is promising ‘Greener Farming Standards’ for all fruit and vegetables.
The retailer has committed to using sustainable farming in all conventional fresh, prepared and frozen fruit, vegetables and flowers on sale in its supermarkets by 2010.
It aims to do this via the LEAF Marque Scheme - which demands environmentally responsible standards of farming on all conventional produce in its supermarkets.
LEAF is a national farming and environmental charity that encourages growers to adopt Integrated Farm Management (IFM) techniques.
Waitrose has been using LEAF Marque on all UK produce for the last two years and is now working directly with LEAF to help growers globally to deliver and demonstrate their environmental credentials.
In order to achieve LEAF Marque status, farms have to demonstrate high standards of environmental stewardship. These include minimising use of pesticides, encouraging natural predators, retaining ‘green corridors’ to protect wildlife, conserving water and energy, as well as maintaining soil vitality through crop rotation and prevention of soil erosion. They must also demonstrate continuous improvements year on year.
In recent months, consumer attention has turned towards reducing the carbon footprint associated with food imports into the UK. However, according to the chain, recent research indicates that, for certain crops, the net environmental impact of cultivating in warmer climates can be lower than growing in Northern Europe, because of the reduced need for heating and lighting.
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