Eight out of 10 Global Food Companies Improve Food Sustainability Policies: Oxfam Report
by Vikas Vij
According to an analysis by the European Commission, many of today's food production systems compromise the planet's capacity to produce food in the future. Nitrogen synthesis exceeds the environmental limits by factor of four and phosphorus use has reached its planetary boundary. Land degradation, change of land use, and reliance on fossil fuels contribute about one-fourth of GHG emissions. Agriculture, including fisheries, is the single biggest driver of biodiversity loss.
Oxfam, the international confederation of 17 organizations working to find sustainable solutions to poverty, has published its "Behind the Brands" report that assesses the environmental and social commitments of the 10 biggest multinational food companies. According to the report, eight of the 10 companies have improved their food security and sustainability policies over the past year, but more needs to be done.
The companies, which include Unilever, Nestle, Kellogg, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, General Mills, Danone, ABF, Mondelez and Mars, have largely demonstrated an increased willingness to tackle social and environmental issues. Oxfam has given a score out of 10 to these companies on seven indicators, including climate, land and water. Unilever has achieved the highest score to lead the list with top scores on climate and its treatment of farm workers.
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Vikas is a staff writer for the Sustainable Development news and editorial section on Justmeans. He is an MBA with 20 years of managerial and entrepreneurial experience and global travel. He is the author of "The Power of Money" (Scholars, 2003), a book that presents a revolutionary monetary economic theory on poverty alleviation in the developing world. Vikas is also the official writer for an international social project for developing nations "Decisions for Life" run in collaboration between the ILO, the University of Amsterdam and the Indian Institute of Management.
