British retailer Tesco has announced nearly 500 of its UK fruit and vegetable growers are now LEAF Marque certified, as the retailer claims it is advancing environmental performance across its entire UK supply base.
LEAF Marque, run by global farming organisation LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), requires farms to take a whole business approach to delivering more sustainable, climate positive farming.
The initiative encourages growers to continuously improve upon key sustainability metrics on their farm. By benchmarking growers’ progress against practices related to nature, climate, society, and economy, the LEAF Marque Standard identifies target areas and helps producers drive further improvements.
LEAF Marque Certification
Tesco says its entire global fresh produce supply chain will move to LEAF Marque certification by 2025.
"As we continue our roll out of the LEAF Marque across our international supply chain, we’re calling on the whole of the food industry to join us in implementing consistent, improved environmental standards to ensure the food we eat is produced sustainably around the world,” said Ashwin Prasad, chief product officer at Tesco.
Powerful Catalyst For Change
The move was also welcomed by Philip Wynn, chairman and acting CEO at LEAF, he said, "The climate and ecosystem emergency is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Retailers, consumers, food companies and governments all over the world are looking for more sustainable and climate positive methods of production."
"In this context, we are delighted that Tesco are accelerating their ambitious and far-reaching net-zero targets through LEAF Marque certification. It provides a powerful catalyst for change, empowering growers to adopt more regenerative approaches by building healthier and more productive soils, delivering better air and water quality and enhancing biodiversity."
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest fresh-produce news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
