Albert Heijn To Introduce Milk From Climate-Neutral Farms In 2021

Dutch retailer Albert Heijn has announced plans to introduce milk from farms that have neutralised their greenhouse gas emissions by 2021.

The retailer has also extended its collaboration with Royal A-ware and DeltaMilk dairy cooperative to make its dairy and cheese offering more sustainable.

Emissions from dairy farms will be neutralised by capturing CO2 from the grass in the soil, the retailer said, along with the allocation of permanent grassland areas that will not be ploughed and partly sown with herbs or clovers.

Robert van Ballegooijen, COO of Royal A-Ware, commented, “A great deal of research has already been done abroad into CO2 sequestration, but in the Netherlands it is unique and it is not yet carried out on this scale. We are very proud to set this up together with Albert Heijn.”

Sustainable Dairy Products

In 2017, Albert Heijn introduced the Beter voor Koe, Natuur en Boer (Better for Cow, Nature and Farmer) programme in association with Royal A-Ware for developing a closed and more transparent production chain for sustainable dairy products.

At present, around 300 dairy farmers supply milk processed exclusively by Royal A-ware and Deltamilk for Albert Heijn products with the Beter voor Koe, Natuur en Boer sustainability logo. 

The products include milk, buttermilk, yoghurt, Gouda cheese and Zaanlander cheese and constitute 40% of Albert Heijn's own-brand dairy products with the sustainability logo.

'A Logical Step'

Henk Sierksma, unit manager for cheese and dairy products at Albert Heijn, said, “Making the chain sustainable is a long-term matter and we do this together with chain partners, which is why extending this collaboration is also a logical step. 

“In the coming three years we will raise the bar again and the dairy farmers will work on climate-neutral milk from the farm. We are also taking additional steps in the field of biodiversity and animal welfare.”