The Findus Group has been listed as the top European food company, and
the fourth company overall, in a WWF assessment of the palm oil
purchasing practices of major European companies . The WWF Palm Oil
Buyers’ Scorecard, released today, scored the performance of 59 of the
most prominent retailers and manufacturers in Europe that buy and use
palm oil. The scorecard looked at how ‘green’ the palm oil purchased by
these companies is. The Findus Group is the parent company of Young’s
Seafood and The Seafood Company in the UK, as well as leading frozen
food brand Findus in the UK, France and Scandinavia.
The
scorecard assessed European companies that produce or sell everyday
consumer products against a range of objective criteria, relating to
their commitment to, and actions on, responsible purchasing of palm
oil. As the highest ranked food company in the listing, the Findus
Group has been awarded ‘3 Palms’ by WWF, demonstrating the company’s
commitment to tackling palm oil sustainability. The Findus Group was
one of ten companies that WWF commended for having shown leadership in
committing to and sourcing Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.
James
Turton, Director of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at the Findus
Group, said: “The Findus Group welcomes the attention that the WWF has
brought to palm oil sustainability, which is a fundamental industry
issue. As part of our broader sustainability programme we aim to play a
positive role in tackling palm oil sustainability and that is why we
are committed to only using Certified Sustainable Palm Oil by 2015 at
the latest.”
Adam Harrison, Senior Policy Officer for Food
& Agriculture at WWF-UK, said: “WWF welcomes the work that Findus
has put in, with its partners, to start using certified sustainable
palm oil and for its own commitment to be using only certified palm oil
by 2015 across all its product lines. The growing threat to the world’s
rainforests means that all companies using palm oil need to take action
now that certified sustainable palm oil is available.”
The
Findus Group was the first frozen and chilled food manufacturer to
start to supply products made with certified sustainable palm oil,
through products that it supplied to Sainsbury’s. As part of its
ongoing sustainability programme, the Findus Group will seek to
optimise its use of alternative vegetable oils as well as being
committed to the 2015 pledge on sustainable palm oil.
Notes for Editors
The Findus Group policy on palm oil was published in September 2009, access a copy by clicking here.
Palm
is a natural vegetable oil widely used in the food and cosmetic
industries. Some palm cultivation can have negative impacts on people
and the environment, such as indiscriminate forest clearing, habitat
loss of threatened and endangered species and poor air quality from
burning forests and peatlands.
For more information about the WWF Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard, please see the WWF website.
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