Sustainable trade

• On this page:
• Our approach
• Developing insight
• Sharing best practices
• Objectives
• Product safety
• Responsible sourcing
• Buying close to home

Our approach

We cooperate with suppliers to systematically improve the social and environmental quality of products throughout the supply chain, particularly those sold under Ahold brand names. In the long run, we favor those suppliers whose values and principles are aligned with our own.

We know that customers expect safe and responsibly-produced products in our stores. They consider this a basic requirement in the food retail business. We also have customers who ask for and are interested in buying products produced in a specific socially- or environmentally-responsible way such as organic or Fairtrade.

Developing insight

We gain insight on the complicated issues of product safety and responsible production through our active participation in organizations such as the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) and roundtables for responsible soy and palm oil, two products that have significant implications for the supply chain. Our increasing focus on understanding the value chain is also giving us more insight into sustainable trade.

Sharing best practices

We have a company-wide consensus on product safety and an agreed protocol at each operating company that is in line with best practices in the retail industry. Our Product Safety Steering Committee, made up of experts from around the company, meets on a regular basis to exchange views and share ideas on how to improve our approach.

The CSR Coordinating Committee formulates policies and priorities related to responsible sourcing and local buying for the company as a whole, based on global and local trends. We then generally determine or create a best practice at one operating company. We roll it out further, based on local market needs. Some practices in these areas are also initiated at a local level.

Objectives

Our objectives in sustainable trade fall into three areas:

1. Product safety: providing safe products to customers in all our markets is non-negotiable. It is the foundation for helping to safeguard our customers' health and well-being.
2. Responsible sourcing: we take steps to ensure that our suppliers respect the rights of their workers and provide safe working conditions while at the same time preserving the environment.
3. Buying close to home: buying locally can be good for the environment and help communities and small and local businesses to develop.

Product safety

All products at Ahold companies need to meet the highest levels of food safety. In order to secure this, all of our companies maintain a food safety policy based on:

• Sound scientific principles;
• Practical operational procedures;
• Employee training and educational programs;
• Pro-active customer education programs.

> read more

Responsible sourcing

Consumers are more aware than ever about how their choices affect global, social and environmental conditions. As a result, value chain participants are increasingly expected to submit evidence of responsible production. Our goal is to provide our customers with choices that satisfy their concerns. We do this by broadening our assortment and working with suppliers who share our values to improve the way products are made. > read more

Buying close to home

We are also committed to working with local and Women and Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) business owners to help grow their businesses and give them access to wider markets. These initiatives also enable us to differentiate our companies by providing products that are attractive to our increasingly diverse customer base and those interested in supporting local producers. > read more