Sustainability Report 2009 - The Co-operative

Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals Biodiversity Waste and packaging Climate change Ecological sustainability
The Co-operative has developed a market-leading Pesticides
Policy, which seeks to reduce the use of pesticides in all of its
own-brand fresh and frozen produce. The policy determines that
the use of pesticides by growers should be considered only as a
last resort, when the use of preventative measures (such as land
choice, crop rotation and crop hygiene, and cultural and biological
controls) has been fully explored with limited success.
In 2001, The Co-operative Food worked with suppliers to draw
up a list of pesticides where use would be banned (approximately
20) or restricted (approximately 30). In 2004, The Co-operative
Food established a Pesticide Advisory Group comprising individuals
from The Co-operative Food, The Co-operative Farms, expert
NGOs and the UK Government’s Advisory Committee on Pesticides,
with a view to the further development of the Pesticides Policy.
A ‘hazard framework’ was developed to guide the future
acceptability, or otherwise, of pesticides 22 . During 2004 and 2005,
over 800 chemicals were analysed using the framework, and, in
summer 2005, a list of problematic pesticides was identified for
potential prohibition and monitoring. During 2006, consultation with
suppliers sought to establish whether a commercial need existed
for the use of these pesticides, and the new Pesticides Policy,
containing 24 banned, 98 prohibited and 322 monitored pesticides,
was formalised at the end of 2007 23 . Additionally, as part of The
Co-operative’s Plan Bee campaign (page 80), a further eight
neonicotinoid pesticides were temporarily added to the prohibited
list 24 , bringing the total to 106 in 2009. In 2009, The Co-operative
Food specifically highlighted to suppliers the likely change in status
of two pesticides on The Co-operative’s lists as a result of planned
reviews under international conventions: Paraquat from ‘monitored’
to ‘prohibited’ and Endosulfan from ‘prohibited’ to ‘banned’ 25 .
The policy terms are defined as:
• Banned – pesticides should never be used under
any circumstances.
• Prohibited – pesticides should not be used, other than in
exceptional circumstances pre-approved by The
Co-operative Food.
• Monitored – pesticides may be used, but more benign
alternatives should be considered and full justification for use
should be made available to The Co-operative Food on request.
An internet-based pesticides portal, the Environmental Practice at
Work (EPAW) system, is designed to help tier-one suppliers comply
with The Co-operative Food’s policy requirements and to source
information to control the most hazardous situations for workers,
suppliers and consumers. The system allows suppliers to check
the current status of all listed pesticides (whether they are banned,
prohibited or monitored), and to make an online derogation
application where necessary. In time, the system will allow analysis
of pesticide application from any country of origin. It will also help
suppliers to set targets to reduce the usage of monitored and
prohibited pesticides.
The roll-out of the Pesticides Policy to frozen vegetable and
potato categories was completed in 2009; however, full roll-out
of EPAW is behind schedule and will be completed in 2010.
Derogations for use of prohibited pesticides significantly increased
in 2009, largely as a result of the integration of Somerfield
suppliers, and the addition of eight neonicotinoid pesticides to the
Prohibited Pesticides List.
Regular audits are undertaken to ensure compliance with the
Pesticides Policy. These comprise desk-based traceability audits 26 ,
site audits, agronomic audits and pesticide analysis, the latter of
which is undertaken on a monthly basis by an independent thirdparty
analytical laboratory. The Co-operative Food relies on its tierone
produce suppliers, of which there were 78 at the end of 2009,
to ensure that growers further down the supply chain comply with
its restrictions and all legal requirements, such as ensuring that the
maximum residue limit (MRL) 27 for pesticides is not exceeded in
any produce they handle.
The Co-operative Food pesticide residue analysis
Pesticide analysis
results
Total number of samples
tested
Average number of tests
per product sample
Number of residues in
excess of MRL
2006 2007 2008 2009 28
184 238 257 268
84 82 82 140
3 0 0 0
% samples with no residues 64 74 70 56
Prohibited pesticides
detected without derogation
5 0 0 8
Banned pesticides detected − 1 0 0
Derogations granted for
prohibited pesticides
Performance benchmark
− 13 39 282
In March 2009, Pesticides Action Network published a study
comparing the pesticides policies of 10 UK supermarkets. The
Co-operative Food was named as one of three retailers doing
the most to address different issues of concern on pesticide
use and the contamination of food 29 .
In instances where the Pesticides Policy is breached, sourcing
from the specific supplier/grower temporarily ceases, pending the
conclusions of a full investigation. Where appropriate, The Cooperative
Food then secures corrective actions from the supplier;
however, should these not prove to be forthcoming, the relationship
with the supplier/grower will cease. In 2009, as a result of a
change in suppliers, The Co-operative Food was made aware
that, in breach of its Pesticides Policy, two banned pesticides,
Cadusafos and Prothiofos, were used. For those fruit varieties
where alternatives were not available, testing was used to ensure
that no residues of the banned chemicals remained on these
supplies. Work will be undertaken in 2010 to review alternative
suppliers and pesticide options. In 2009, no MRL exceedances
or banned pesticides were detected. Residues of prohibited
pesticides, used without a derogation, were detected in eight tests;
this will be followed up with the individual suppliers. The results of
the Pesticide Residue Testing programme were reinstated on The
Co-operative Food’s website in October 2009 30 . Work to review
and improve the residue testing programme, by increasing the
scope of testing, and providing better results analysis and online
reporting, has been delayed and will begin in 2010.
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The Co-operative Group Sustainability Report 2009