đ± Fake farms: Harmless fiction or cause for concern?
and we look at how fake farms affecting British farmers
Happy Monday! Every Monday we suit up and get serious - digging into a climate topic, rounding up the past weekâs Good(s) News and sharing updates from across FTF, so youâre never out of the loop.
Have you been pumpkin picking over the past week or two? Hopefully your pumpkins arenât still in your car boot/trunk (donât look at me)âŠor if they are, sounds like a great opportunity for a pumpkin soup now that the moment to carve them has definitely passed [sigh]. Apart from being a fun afternoon, itâs a great way to support your local farm. I can only imagine the profit margins are a lot higher than when the farmers sell them through supermarkets!
Speaking of farms and supermarkets⊠what a smooth transition! In this weekâs focus piece, our guest writer (for now đ), Aurore writes about fake farms and their impact on real farmers.
Letâs dig inâŠ
> In Focus
A beautiful farm in Kent, or was it Poland?
by Aurore Flaceliere
Picture this, you need to buy fruit, head to your local Tesco, pick up a bag of apples, a Union Jack banner above the fruit aisle suggests they might be UK sourced, youâve even seen a picture of a farmer on your way in. The pack points to a farm: âRosedene Farmâ in Kent, youâre happy to be supporting British farmers, after all 60% of shoppers actively look for the flag on products. You venture further and pick up some blueberries, also from Rosedene Farm, you donât think much more about it until a bit later when you notice that the blueberries were grown in Poland and begin to wonder how could they both come from the same farm. The truth is that Rosedene Farm doesn't exist, itâs been completely fabricated by Tesco as a branding exercise, itâs âfarmwashingâ.
The phenomenon isnât new, supermarkets have been doing it for years. In 2017 Tesco was already facing legal threats for marketing its meat with a fake farm (worse maybe, the farm existed, but Tesco had never sourced from them). 6 years later âWoodside Farmsâ still appears on the packaging of some of Tescoâs products. It has just come back to the centre of the public eye though, as Riverford has launched a campaign against the practice, calling for more transparency.Â
Why do we need to know?
đ The role of our agricultural system in the green transition
The campaign argues that the practice (not limited to Tesco!) is misleading shoppers into thinking that the supermarkets are sourcing from small UK farms, supporting both UK farmers and the development of a greener agriculture.Â
In the UK the food system is responsible for 20% of the countryâs emission, and farmers manage 75% of the UKâs uninhabited land. Furthermore in its current form, the farming system has been linked to many externalities from pollution to erosion, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. This makes farmers key actors in the fight against Climate Change while also being tasked with feeding the nation. If we want to have a chance at turning the tide, they need to be supported in a transition to a system that encourages carbon sequestration and protects biodiversity.Â
However, Riverfordâs research found that only 1 in 4 farmers feel supported by supermarkets and say they feel under pressure by supermarkets. They would like to see fairer prices and better buying practices: longer term contracts to help with consistency and predictability, which in turn could allow them to invest in more sustainable practices).Â
đ Knowledge is power Â
The research also finds that 67% of shoppers felt distrustful upon learning that the farm didnât exist and that the produce could have been sourced from across the globe. They were angered by the fact that the name masks industrial production systems, some potentially linked to cases of environmental pollution. Â
A 2020, EU Commission study found that 53.3% of environmental claims were vague, misleading or unfounded. Globally weâre seeing more and more anti-greenwashing regulation. These aim at protecting shoppers from misleading claims, farmwashing should fall under that category and be acted against, enabling a market in which consumers can feel connected to the food they buy and the people who make it. Â
Small farms are already declining and struggling, 62% of farmers are at financial risk, and if supermarkets want to play into consumersâ preference to shop British, they need to be honest about where the produce comes from. This will enable shoppers to preferentially choose UK grown produce where possible and relevant: it might be counterproductive to look for a UK grown tomato in December but as the squash and other root vegetables start to fill market stalls itâs a reminder of the diversity of food that grows in the country and a good encouragement to eat more local and seasonal, lowering the carbon footprint of our diets at the same time. When it comes to meat, UK welfare standards are also amongst the highest in the world, relatively speaking.
So what happens now?
As chef Mauro Colagreco said in his speech at COP16 in Colombia last week: âby choosing what we eat, we choose the world we want to live inâ, but to do that, first we need to know whoâs growing it and how.
Join the campaign by spreading the word or writing to your MP
Review your practices:
Could you be clearer about where your ingredients come from?
Could you support a greener agriculture through your sourcing practices?
As a consumer, read your labels carefully.
> Follow up withâŠ
Campaign:Â Stop Farmwashing website, Riverford
> Last week in consumer goods x climateâŠ
The Good(s) News
»Up and coming brands
đŻ Margaret Howell Limited, a UK-based fashion brand, has announced a partnership with SOJO, an online retail repair company that provides convenient door-to-door services. Alongside this, Margaret Howell Limited released its 2023 Sustainability Report, highlighting achievements like reducing Scope 2 market-based emissions to zero by switching to zero-carbon energy and reusing or recycling 100% of surplus stock.
đŻ Grounded, the plant-based protein shakes company, has launched in Whole Foods Market locations across New York and California in the US.
đŻ FlexSea has partnered with NanoLayr to create sustainable nanofibres for air filters through electrospinning technology. By combining FlexSeaâs seaweed-based materials with NanoLayrâs expertise, the partnership aims to reduce reliance on synthetic and oil-based products for air filtration.
đŻ ManiLife, a UK B Corp nut butter brand, has invested over ÂŁ1 million in a new facility in Derbyshire to bring production in-house, preserving its craft, small-batch approach. Expected to open in early 2025, the factory supports Manilifeâs expanding reach within the UK and internationally.
đŻ Farrow & Ball has earned B Corp certification and released its first Responsibility Report. Some highlights include their 100% renewable energy-powered manufacturing site and waste minimisation strategies resulting in just 180g of waste per litre of paint produced.
»Bigger organisations
â Starbucks announced they will be removing the extra charge for plant-based milks in the US and Canada starting November 7. Driven by high consumer demand and activism, this change encourages lower carbon milk options and supports customers with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies.
Want good news sooner? We post our top 5 stories in our LinkedIn newsletter every Friday! If your CPG brand has good news to share, let us know.đ
> In case you missed it
Want more? Hereâs whatâs happening across FTF at the momentâŠ
Katherine shared that she has been promoted at work ! She is now the Senior Carbon Impact Specialist at My EmissionsâŠwe are obviously buzzing for her!
As always, Lexi has been working to gather all CPG x sustainability events in our events calendar. Yesterday she shared her Events Round-Up for November, check it out to avoid missing out.
We have been growing our team and are excited to introduce you to our latest team members. Did you know, everyone who works on FTF volunteers their time? You can help keep the energy flowing by sharing our newsletter with your friends and colleagues!
Want more? Hang tight for âThe Check-Outâ this Thursday for the latest brands in our basket. In the meantime, if you have any topics that you would like us to dig into, ping us an email on info@followingthefootprints.com to say hi!
Much love,Â
Team FTFÂ