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Food matters
We want to show you how we source, produce and sell food in a responsible way. From making sure workers in our supply chain are treated and paid fairly to supporting British farmers, or from managing where we source ingredients from to helping people make healthier choices, we do it all because we believe that food matters.
British
Our own-brand fresh beef, lamb, chicken and pork is 100% British. From fresh cuts of meat and sausages and bacon, to the fillings in our sandwiches and ready meals – we make it easy for our customers to choose British.*
Our commitment is 100%, totally, utterly, all in.
We're also working with a number of local producers like Uncle Henry's, Grasmere Farm and Moutain's Boston Sausage to provide a Lincolnshire choice for our customers.
Read more about our buying group's food provenance.
*Excluding continental meats.
Fairtrade
Buying Fairtrade goods gives producers in poorer countries a better price and means their communities benefit from a Fairtrade premium. We're proud to stock products carrying the Fairtrade mark including chocolate, tea, coffee, wine, bananas and many more.
Find out more about how we're supporting Fairtrade here.
Animal welfare
Back in the 1990s our buying group started labelling the living conditions of the hens on egg boxes and there's been more since then. In 2007, we became the first retailers to use only free-range own-brand eggs and since 2010, all the eggs used in our own-brand products have been free-range too.
We also support animal welfare through schemes like Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured. Find out more about the buying group's policies here.
Responsible sourcing
We always do what we can to reduce the impact our products and operations have on the environment.
We’re proud to stock a local range of products and our buying group deals with the sourcing and production of food in a responsible way – read more here. One element of this is recognising the effect that over-fishing and environmentally-destructive catch and production methods are having on fish stocks. As part of our group's policy, we're members of the Sustainable Seafood Coalition (SSC).
Carrier bags and cups
In April 2021 we switched from selling single-use carrier bags to 100% compostable, reusable bags.
Our new carrier bags are 100% compostable – they’re perfect for lining home compost caddies and are strong enough to reuse for shopping too. The proceeds still go towards good causes through our Community Champions scheme. Find more information on our carrier bag policy.
We also offer our members a 25p reward if they use a reusable cup at our Costa Express machines.
Reducing our impact
Lots of our outlets feature LED lighting and building management systems in a bid to reduce our energy consumption. Some of our food stores also use heat reclaimed from refrigeration to heat their building.
Water
According to the UN, 884 million people do not have access to improved drinking water and more than 2.4 billion lack access to a basic, hygienic toilet. Together, we can make a difference in changing this.
Did you know:
- Every bottle of Co-op still, sparkling or flavoured water* that you buy helps to fund clean water projects
- 3p of every litre sold funds clean water projects
- Over £10 million has been raised already in this way
- 1.8 million people now have access to clean water because of you
Find out more here.
*Does not include tonic or large bottles of soda water.
