Animal welfare
Animal welfare continues to be one of our customers' top concerns. They are looking for value for money, but they also want food that is reared to high animal welfare standards. We have been committed to this for many years and we were one of the first retailers to launch Freedom Food Chicken in 2004.
In February 2009 we became the first major retailer to stop selling eggs from caged hens, a year ahead of our 2010 target and more than two years ahead of Government legislation. On top of this, we are committed to using only cage free eggs as an ingredient by the end of 2011.
Woodland eggs and chickens
We are the only retailer to offer high welfare Woodland eggs and chickens. These eggs are produced by hens that have the freedom to roam in an environment that closely matches their natural habitat. Two pence from every Woodland chicken sold, and one penny from every dozen Woodland eggs is donated to the Woodland Trust to support the planting of native woodland across the UK. In addition, all of our ‘Taste the Difference’ turkeys are 100% Woodland.
“The partnership between Sainsbury’s and the Trust has certainly come a long way since we first started working together in 2004. Not only has it been pioneering in pushing forward hen welfare, but has also led to more than 200,000 trees being planted. Thousands of these trees have been planted by schoolchildren and community groups through the Trust’s hedge and copse packs which Sainsbury’s now completely funds. So this coming year, 10,000 schools and 300,000 children living in the UK will be able to plant a tree thanks to Sainsbury’s contribution to the Trust’s work!
This is an enormous achievement and one which will grow and grow as our relationship continues to develop. From a Woodland Trust point of view, we feel Sainsbury's is an ethical brand which we are very happy to be associated with. Together we really are making a real difference.”
Freedom Food
We are proud that not only do we offer the widest range of Freedom Food products of any UK retailer, but we also are the largest retailer of Freedom Food in the UK by value. This year, total Sainsbury’s Freedom Food sales have hit £143 million, according to Kantar Worldpanel, and 60% of our customers have purchased at least one Freedom Food labelled item in the past year.
Sainsbury’s sells 62% of all Freedom Food in the UK, and sales have doubled in the past year. This comes despite tough economic conditions, with customers continuing to seek out value without compromising what they believe in. Sainsbury’s data shows that volume sales of Freedom Food chicken increased by 90% between 2009 and 2010 and it is growing at a faster rate than all other fresh chicken ranges. In 2010 we moved all our fresh and frozen duck to 100% freedom food (excludes prepared duck).
“It is clear farm animal welfare is of paramount importance to more people than ever before. And the fact that Sainsbury's customers have stood firm by animal welfare through some of the most difficult economic times only reinforces that it is an issue that is here to stay.
Our thanks go to Sainsbury's for its continued commitment to Freedom Food and expanding the range, and its customers for increasingly putting welfare at the top of their shopping lists.”
Our key commitments
- Being number one supermarket for animal welfare
We will offer the widest range of higher welfare products of any UK retailer
Next steps
- We want our five biggest-selling fish species to be MSC-certified or green-rated against our own sustainability standard by the end of 2010
Our views on the issues that are important to our stakeholders.
