Your hamburger: from farm to supermarket
The mission of Dutch supermarkets to halt deforestation in the Cerrado, Brazil
The pressure of expanding agriculture eats away the Cerrado, piece by piece. The demand for soy and cattle is growing. As a result, natural vegetation is cleared out for farms to expand their borders. While there has been a lot of attention for the Amazon, its neighbour, the Cerrado has been overlooked by many. The Cerrado biodiversity is unique, it is an extremely important source of water and large amount of carbon are captured in the deep root systems of trees.
According to the most conservative estimate more than 50% has already been converted for agriculture. The products made of the converted lands are used in the supply chains of global food companies. NGOs like WWF call for action from all stakeholders involved in the Cerrado, including corporate organizations. Food organizations using soy and beef in their supply chain have a large responsibility in stopping this trend of deforestation in the Cerrado.
Acknowledging the impact of agriculture on the environment, more than 60 companies have signed a Manifesto to put a halt to deforestation and native vegetation loss in the Cerrado. One of the supporters is Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel (CBL), the umbrella organisation for the supermarket sector and foodservice companies in the Netherlands. By signing a statement of support for the Cerrado Manifesto in January 2018 CBL endorses the importance of halting deforestation in crucial areas like the Cerrado.
Marieke Doolaard, Sustainability Manager at CBL, explains how the organization increased its focus on sustainability in the past years. When launching the Sustainable Meat Initiative in 2014, sustainability criteria were created for pork and poultry meat in the shelves of the supermarkets. Animal health and animal welfare were topics in this approach. In addition, the third sustainability issue was environmental related: the food that these animals eat. The main ingredient of animal feed is soy. The production of soy is associated with large scale deforestation in areas like the Cerrado. Creating more transparency in the soy supply chain is a step towards halting deforestation. As from 2015, supermarkets in the Netherlands only buy RTRS (or equal) certified soy for production of their home brands. This means that the soy is certified with sustainability criteria.
The complexity of this problem remains high. Although we are moving towards sustainable production, deforestation and loss of native vegetation is still happening every day. Via the Cerrado Manifesto NGOs are creating support from food companies to raise the bar and increase their effort. As one of the supporters, Doolaard elaborates on why CBL decided to sign the Manifesto:
“The initiative to support the Manifesto came from the supermarkets: we need to support this movement. Deforestation remains a challenge and we need to raise the bar together. The supermarkets in the Netherlands are eager to implement this into their practices.”
So what will be the next steps? Signing is one thing, now it comes down to action. Companies need to work together to create more visibility in their supply chain.
“Every party in the supply chain — from farms and processors to commodity traders and food companies — should take their responsibility. Action from governments of all countries involved is needed. We at CBL do not have the answer yet on how this complex problem should be resolved. Working together with all global stakeholders will be key for creating a deforestation free supply chain.”, Doolaard adds.
Work needs to be done on the side of food companies, leveraging their collective position in the market. We can also look further back into the supply chain: for financial institutions, zero-deforestation should be a precondition for all investments. The logic in this is that when companies that incorporate deforestation are not being financed anymore, they have to turn to more sustainable practices. To do this, there is a growing need for accurate monitoring of natural resources.
Looking further down the supply chain, there is the consumer. Awareness about the complex path of our food follows before it hits our plate is growing. However there is so much we do not know or do not think about every day. Doolaard explains a large part of her professional life has been about food.
“Food is such an essential part of everyone’s life. We cannot live without it. The chain of food is constantly evolving and the emphasise on sustainable practices grows. Professionally, in my role as Sustainability Manager at CBL, I want to bring these learning into practice. Personally, I incorporate eating ‘good’ food into my life as well and I try to bring this knowledge to the next generation too.”
When it comes to halting deforestation and native vegetation loss, action is needed sooner rather than later. At the current rate of loss the amount of native vegetation around the globe will be be at an alarming rate soon. And it is something we cannot regain. The work done by the signees — next to CBL, amongst others Ahold Delhaize, McDonalds and Unilever — and the promoters of the Manifesto is a great start, but it is important to already think ahead. Working together towards a solid plan of action is now key.
20tree.ai provides forest intelligence by using artificial intelligence in combination with high-resolution satellite imagery. Forest insights help corporates, governments and NGOs to combat deforestation and increase productivity and sustainability of forest management.
