We consider suppliers to be true business partners, seeking to go far beyond traditional customer/supplier relationships. Our suppliers are key elements in building the value proposition of our brands and banners.
We strive to ensure that the commodities used in our products are of a sustainable origin.
We incorporate social and environmental concerns in product and packaging development.
Whenever possible, we favour long-lasting relationships with local suppliers.
We have defined a sustainable fishing strategy to reduce our impact on ecosystems.
We feed our animals quality food and endeavour to improve animal welfare.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct establishes the ethical principles and values which we believe our suppliers should share with us and that have an impact on the quality and safety of the products made available to our customers.
We seek to collectively contribute to eradicating forced labour – as defined by the International Labour Organization – across our banners’ supply chains and to continuing to ensure that forced labour is not used in our operations. To this end, we support the Resolution of The Consumer Goods Forum and its Priority Principles: every worker should have freedom of movement, no worker should pay and/or be indebted to have a job or coerced to work.
We regularly audit our Private Brand and perishables suppliers to assess and follow up on the management and control of processes, implemented quality systems, and product formulation. The audits we carry out with internal teams and with the help of independent external auditors cover aspects such as quality and food safety, and environmental, labour and social criteria, among other aspects.
We are also committed to conducting environmental audits of at least 20% of Private Brand and perishables suppliers who have a purchase volume of over 1.1 million euros, in 2021-2023.
We also favour relationships with suppliers who have Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognised food safety certification.
We endeavour to raise awareness of and train our business partners through programmes and initiatives focusing on quality, food safety, and sustainable development, strengthening our relationship, especially in areas where cooperation can be improved and in the development of innovative products. In 2022, several awareness and/or training sessions were held focusing on topics such as food safety and quality, recipe reformulations, the development of new products (in particular vegetarian and vegan products), food defense, animal welfare, agricultural practices and packaging ecodesign.
Since 2013, we have been working with fruit and vegetable suppliers in Portugal to promote good farming practices. Learn more here.
Information related to new suppliers selected based on environmental and social criteria, negative social impacts on the supply chain and actions taken, assessment of the health and safety impacts of products, the number of audits conducted of Private Brand and perishables suppliers, and of service providers was confirmed by an external and independent entity for the Group’s 2022 Annual Report.