05 Mar 2010 03:03:06

CSR is main priority for over third of food companies, says report

Companies selling food and consumer goods are beginning to prioritise their environmental duties again, according to new research.

A survey of 345 industry figures by the Consumers Goods Forum (CGF) found that CSR was ranked second place overall as a priority for 2010, with 38.1 percent of companies making it top of their agenda.

Last year, the CGF found that companies were prioritising food safety and consumer demand, ahead of CSR because of the impact of the recession.

On the latest findings, Jean-March Saubade, the Consumer Goods Forums' managing director, said: "It is encouraging to see that corporate responsibility has withstood the pressures of the economic crisis....(This is) proof that its influence on the corporate agenda is here to stay."

In the UK, several major names in the food industry have signed up to the government's plan to reduce carbon emissions from packaging by 2020.

According to British government figures, a fifth of household waste is from packaging.

Launching phase two of the scheme, dubbed the Courtauld Commitment, minister Hilary Benn said this week: "Grocery manufacturers and retailers have already started to take action and halted the increase in packaging.

"The new Commitment sees them go further than ever in reducing food waste and packaging and making it smarter - and I want to see members of the food industry continuing to sign up over the coming months."

http://tinyurl.com/ydojbbe