Unilever United States, Danone North America, Nestle USA, and Mars Incorporated have joined together to create the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance (SFPA), a new advocacy group that aims to benefit fishing communities and the environment.
The SFPA seeks to advance policies that are beneficial for the environment, while accounting for the specific business imperatives of its supply chains, including fishing communities, farmers, ranchers, and other producers.
The formation of the new organization was announced by Danone North America CEO Mariano Lozano; Mars Wrigley Confectionery Americas President Tracey Massey; Nestlé USA Chairman and CEO Steve Presley; and Amanda Sourry, president of Unilever North America.
“As an Alliance, we commit first and foremost to leading by example. Each member company has independently proven a willingness to advocate for the long-term interests of the people who farm and supply our raw materials, and people who make and consume our products,” they said.
The manufacturers said they have already been aggressive in sourcing sustainable seafood and are at the forefront of human rights issues, including forced labor in the seafood industry.
Nestlé, which purchased around 134,000 tons of seafood in 2017, formed an Action Plan in 2015 to tackle Thai forced labor practices, which it called “unacceptable.”
“We are now confident that seafood products from problematic Thai fishing vessels [are] not entering our supply chain,” the manufacturer said on its website. Nestle primarily sources seafood for its Purina pet food brand.
Likewise, Mars Petcare said last year that it developed an Action Plan to protect and promote human rights in the Thai seafood supply chain.
“Our ambition is for the human rights of everyone in our fish supply chain to be respected and to seek the elimination of forced labor. Building on the lessons learned from this plan, we will roll out similar actions across our fish supply chains in other parts of the world,” the company said.
Around 43 percent of the seafood Mars purchased for its pet products in 2016 was from sustainable sources, the company said on its website.
Unilever began its Sustainable Fishing Initiative (FSI) program around 20 years ago, and bought seafood based on the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
SFPA will explore the “economics of sustainability, including financial incentives to reduce emissions and transition to low-carbon alternatives, with a particular focus on ways to create value for farmers, ranchers, and others who are implementing leading edge practices to cut greenhouse gas emissions,” the group said in its release.
The alliance will also urge U.S. policymakers to ensure that the Farm Bill and other farm policies reflect the pressing need to increase the scale of actions to address water quality and water conservation issues, focus on improving soil health, and expand the deployment of renewable energy, particularly wind and solar.
“The Farm Bill should leverage all available tools, including research and public-private partnerships such as the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), to make smart investments in conservation and sustainability,” SFPA said.
SFPA member companies will prioritize U.S. public policy advocacy and action in five key areas:
- Consumer Transparency: Improving the quality and accessibility of information available to consumers about the food they purchase for themselves and their families.
- Environment: Advocating for innovative, science-based solutions to take action against the costly impacts of climate change, build more resilient communities, promote renewable energy, and further develop sustainable agriculture systems.
- Food Safety: Ensuring the quality and safety of food products and the global supply chain.
- Nutrition: Developing and advocating for policies that help people make better-informed food choices that contribute to healthy eating while supporting sustainable environmental practices.
- People and Communities: Advancing policies that promote a strong, diverse, and healthy workplace and support the supply chain, including rural economies.
The Alliance also supports a comprehensive update of the definition of terms such as “healthy”, including strong, science-based regulations on how these terms can be used on food packages and in marketing.
“The updates will help consumers make better choices for themselves and their families,” SFPA said.
