Waitrose has become the first supermarket in Britain to sign up to the WWF’s scheme for sourcing RTRS-certified soya (soya that has been independently certified to rigorous standards).
The upmarket grocer has committed to sourcing 100 per cent of the soya in its own-label products from RTRS (Roundtable on Responsible Soy)-certified sources by December 2015.
WWF-UK, the UK arm of the world’s leading environmental organisation, described the commitment by Waitrose as “an early success” for its Save The Cerrado campaign, which highlights the impacts of expanding soya cultivation on precious natural habitats such as the Cerrado savannah in Brazil.
Quentin Clark, head of sustainable sourcing at Waitrose, said: ” Supermarkets account for the vast majority of food purchased in Britain, so we share a collective responsibility to ensure we’re not damaging the world’s precious resources with the ingredients we source.”
“This is a challenging commitment – our farmers use many tonnes of soya each year to feed their animals. But we and our customers need to be confident that Waitrose is part of the solution, not the problem.”
He added: “This is a great opportunity for businesses in the UK like Waitrose to show leadership and make a real difference by creating demand for RTRS soya and helping change the practices in the soya industry for the better.”
Roundtable on Responsible Soy is an initiative that involves producers and companies in the soya supply chain working together to improve global standards for soy production.
