Weekly Roundup: Bonsucro strengthens sustainable sugarcane, Cargill gets animal welfare nod

18 Mar 2022 --- This week in industry news, Bonsucro partnered with a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company to improve sustainable sugarcane supply chains in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Cargill received a nod for animal welfare and UAE-based MAF pledged to use cage-free eggs in Carrefour stores across 30 Middle Eastern, Asian and African markets.

In brief: Sustainability
Symrise was chosen as one of the first three companies in the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to have met its highest standard. The audit team is backed by recognized organizations such as Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund For Nature.

Bonsucro partnered with a FMCG company to improve sustainable sugarcane supply chains in Pakistan. The undisclosed FMCG company has reviewed its sugar supply chain in the region and concluded that working conditions need to be improved. To address this, the company is looking for an external partner to collaborate with to develop capacity, build an action plan and roll it out. 

UAE-based MAF pledged to use cage-free eggs in Carrefour stores across 30 Middle Eastern, Asian and African markets, including Oman, Georgia, Egypt, Uganda and Pakistan. The commitment, designed alongside animal charity The Humane League, will affect all 420 Carrefour outlets that MAF operates. All own-brand eggs will come from cage-free birds by 2030 and all remaining eggs by 2032.

In brief: AchievementsMAF committed to use cage-free eggs in its Carrefour stores. 
Cargill received a tier 2 ranking in the newly released BBFAW report, a global measure of company performance on farm animal welfare. It is the sixth year in a row that the annual BBFAW report ranked Cargill in tier 2 out of 6 tiers. Only 16 of the 150 global companies rated in the report are in tiers 1 or 2, which BBFAW reserves for companies that have made animal welfare integral to business strategy.

Vegan fried chick*n brand VFC was awarded an A grade for all three products in its range by Foundation Earth, the non-profit that issues front-of-pack environmental scores. VFC issued a challenge to the meat industry to “come clean and then clean up” after an independent impact assessment found that the company’s meat-free range outperformed its meat equivalent across all environmental metrics. VFC’s vegan fried chick*n filets were compared with generic meat-based southern fried chicken filets in an industry analysis.

In brief: Technology
Driscoll’s and Plenty Unlimited expanded their relationship to build a new indoor vertical farm dedicated exclusively to strawberries. The companies are accelerating efforts to grow Driscoll’s proprietary berries using Plenty’s vertical growing platform. The farm, which serves consumers in the US, will provide fresh, consistent, high-flavor strawberries.

Nectar and Sainsbury’s helped customers save money on their favorite products through My Nectar Prices, a data-driven program based on previous purchases. Shoppers who are registered digitally with Nectar are sent regular new deals personalized to them based on their previous purchases, as well as offers which their data suggests they would like. Sainsbury’s shoppers can download the Nectar and SmartShop apps, or visit Nectar.com to check their deals before shopping. 

In brief: Other highlightsDriscoll's and Plenty Unlimited partner to grow premium strawberries.
Bord Bia leveraged the global celebrations around St. Patrick’s Day to launch a program of targeted trade engagements and promotional campaigns across 18 countries this month. The company will bring “a taste of Ireland” to the world by coordinating promotional activities and events aimed at consumers, retailers, trade and foodservice operators using its international network. In 2021 Irish food and drink exports reached over 180 countries worldwide and were valued at €13.5 billion (US$15 billion), an increase of 4% from 2020.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) sclerotinia infection risk alerts service for oilseed rape showed a strong risk indication. The alerts forecast and observe weather data to flag potential infection risk periods during the UK’s main oilseed rape flowering period. The service consistently provided a 90% accuracy rate and can help focus disease monitoring. The tool uses current and historical weather data – temperature and relative humidity – to provide an area forecast of how favorable the environmental conditions are for infection over the next 48-hour period. 

Chilean authorities approved 27 UK-run pork processing sites to start commercial exports. The UK pig industry will export products to Chile for the first time in a new deal worth an estimated £20 million (US$26 million) over the first five years. The UK has an association agreement with Chile, which largely maintains prior preferential trading arrangements and rules of origin. This means that UK pork exports’ can benefit from the import tariff under the Most Favoured Nation tariff of 6%, subject to conditions.

Sales volume of Kirin Brewery Company’s single grain Japanese whisky Fuji grew significantly in Japan by 3.5 fold in 2021 and 20 times in overseas markets. The whisky will be sold in China and Australia from April. To reach a bigger overseas market, the company aims to increase the sales ratio by 50% by 2025. 

By Inga de Jong

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