BIRDS EYE LAUNCHES SUSTAINABILITY PLAN ‘FOREVER FOOD’
Birds Eye has announced the launch of its new company-wide sustainability plan, ‘Forever Food’.
The plan has been mapped out to span from 2010 to 2015 and sets out Birds Eye’s bid to ensure its consumers have responsibly sourced food to eat, forever.
Forever Food has been developed with a range of organisations and suppliers including WWF, the Marine Stewardship Council, the Food and Drink Federation and The Prince’s Countryside Fund which launches on the 22nd July.
The plan covers all raw materials and manufacturing sites, as well as third party suppliers and hopes to drive awareness of better choices in healthy living and nutrition in a distinctive consumer programme.
Example commitments include:
- Reducing water consumption used in manufacturing by 20% by 2020 (against 2007 baseline)
- Reducing CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020 (against 1990 baseline)
- Sending zero waste to landfill from UK operations by 2015
- Reducing packaging by 15% by 2012
- Sourcing 100% of wild and farmed fish from certified fisheries by 2012
- Driving consumer awareness of more sustainable and healthy choices in a unique Forever Food families programme
Martin Glenn, Chief Executive of Birds Eye Iglo Group, said:
“As a business, we always aim to do what’s best: best for consumers, best for the business and best for the world around us.
By engaging our people, industry colleagues, suppliers and consumers in ‘Forever Food’, we aim to bring them with us on the Journey to understand and find solutions to the challenges we all face, in order that we have quality and responsibly sourced food to eat – forever.”
David Nussbaum, CEO of WWF-UK, said:
“WWF began working with Birds Eye Iglo over 10 years ago to drive sustainability in fisheries.
The Forever Food programme is a welcome expansion of these aims and we very much support its ambition to become a leading initiative driving change for sustainability in supply chains and in consumer behaviour.
We have a mature and constructive relationship with Birds Eye and look forward to supporting Forever Food with challenging dialogue that will benefit consumers and our planet. ”
Birds Eye’s ‘Forever Food’ plan also aims to support the certification process to bring another 1m tonnes of wild capture MSC fish to market as well as helping to support the development of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council for farmed seafood and further developing Birds Eye’s Pea Growers Forum for Sustainable Farming
Birds Eye has a heritage in sustainable development dating back over forty years. Key milestones include:
- In 2009, Birds Eye was invited to be the first private company to sit on the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Steering Board. The ASC will begin to certify responsibly farmed seafood in 2011
- In October 2009, Birds Eye helped launch the International Fish Meal and Fish Oil Organisation’s Responsible Sourcing Standard, the first global fish feed standard in the fish farming industry
- In September 2007 Birds Eye launched its Omega-3 Fish Finger that is produced from Alaskan Pollock, to reduce pressure on Cod stocks, resulting in a 3,000 tonne reduction in its yearly Cod catch – equivalent to 1.5 million fish. The Omega-3 Fish Finger lunch was the biggest branded launch in the fish Sustainability arena ever with 78% consumers switching from Cod to Alaskan Pollock
- In 2003 Birds Eye formed the Forum for Sustainable Farming – a unique grower-led organisation of sustainable development farmers
- In 2002, Birds Eye stopped frying in Palm Oil. Now it has set a target to only use where necessary certified Palm Oil by the end of 2010
- Co-founding the Marine Steward Council (MSC) with WWF, under Unilever, in 1995
- Birds Eye is synonymous with development of frozen food. Today, frozen food is acknowledged as a key tool in responsible resource utilisation because it minimises wastage in the supply chain and in the home
David Nussbaum went on to say:
“Birds Eye has designed the ‘Forever Food’ Journey to educate its staff and consumers about the difference they can make, as well as stimulate family interest in sustainable development issues that affect their daily lives.
To this end, Birds Eye will be inviting families to take part in a nationwide initiative to teach them more about the challenges of managing the earth’s resources in order to bring them responsibly sourced food.”
‘Forever Food’ will be supported by an ongoing marketing campaign to include digital, PR and on-pack activity beginning with the release of new food packs this month.
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