Responsible sourcing
Our long term commitment to transparent sourcing stategies has helped us address consumer interest about the provenance of their food.
Where possible, we seek to source products from the UK and Ireland and it remains the case that all products we produce are non-GM.
In recent years we have been consolidating our supply base, and now have a smaller number of suppliers with whom we work with more collaboratively, in order to obtain high quality raw materials and to provide the high level of service we and our customers require.
Our procurement team is continually working towards achieving industry best practice in responsible sourcing. All major suppliers, whether they are based in the UK or overseas, are audited against robust and comprehensive product standards. For example, our sourcing policies take into account our programmes to gradually reduce salt levels in our products.
Animal welfare
Our overall approach to animal welfare is set out in our industry leading Farm Assurance policy. This was first formalised and drew together our requirements in a single policy in 1999. Confirming our commitment in this area, the policy was refreshed and re-launched to suppliers in December 2006.
The policy provides our customers and consumers with the confidence that legal and recommended standards are being met for livestock husbandry and welfare on the farm, during transport and slaughter. All UK meat and protein suppliers can be traced back to the farm through this policy. Our farm assurance codes of practice also limit our reliance on chemicals such as pesticides for all the food we make.
We also support the Farm Animal Welfare Council five basic freedoms for animals, including freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition, by ensuring animals are provided ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour. We encourage our suppliers to be members of one of the nationally recognised Farm Assurance Schemes which demonstrates and promotes the principles of animal welfare from the farm through to slaughter, and which is independently accredited and verified.
Northern Foods endorses the use of Integrated Farm Management (IFM) which relates specifically to:
- Management, organisation and planning
- Soil management and fertility
- Crop protection
- Pollution control and by-product management
- Energy efficiency
- Landscape and nature conservation.
Ethical Trading Initiative
We are working with our customers to ensure that our site and supplier audits include measures on responsible sourcing and that the supplier complies with the principles of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code. This code says that:
- There is no forced labour
- suppliers maintain a safe and hygienic working environment
- child labour is not used
- wages meet national legal standards or industry benchmark standards, whichever is higher.
- there is no discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.
- no harsh or inhumane treatment of workers is allowed
Sedex
Northern Foods also continues to support SEDEX- a secure web based system on which companies can maintain data on labour standards at their production sites. We have contributed to the development of a SEDEX risk assessment tool to aid identification by companies of the most vulnerable parts of the supply chain and the business will continue to encourage membership of SEDEX across its major suppliers in 2007/08.