| 28/10/2009 |
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| Findus Group Scores Highly In WWF Palm Oil Survey |
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The Seafood Company's parent the Findus Group - has been listed as the top European food business 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 Group was one of ten companies that WWF commended for having shown leadership in committing to and sourcing Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.
Findus Group director of sustainability, James Turton, said: “We welcome 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 the Findus Group 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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