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In a world in the midst of a food transition, fresh food is highly prized for its quality, diversity and contribution to a healthy lifestyle. But behind these assets lie major challenges in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
From combating food waste and reducing CO2 emissions, to rebalancing producer remuneration and animal welfare, the fresh produce sector faces a number of crucial challenges.
Moving towards a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly industry
The carbon footprint of fresh food
To measure the carbon footprint of food, we need to take into account production methods, any product processing, packaging, transport, storage and distribution. And there's no denying it: the fresh food sector is a major CO2 emitter.
Meat production is often singled out for blame, due to the high methane emissions it generates, but fruit and vegetables are also under scrutiny: over 60% of the fruit and 40% of the vegetables consumed in France come from abroad, and transporting them involves significant greenhouse gas emissions (around 0.5 Mt CO2 per year, according to Voxlog).
Faced with this reality, more and more players in the food industry are taking action to reduce their carbon footprint. In 2022, for example, the Carrefour group unveiled a climate plan that commits its entire ecosystem: the group's top 100 suppliers are asked to adopt a 1.5° trajectory by 2026, or risk being dereferenced.
The comeback of short distribution channels and seasonal products
To reduce its carbon footprint and meet consumer expectations, the fresh food industry is increasingly favoring local, shorter distribution channels. The aim? Reduce emissions linked to the transport and refrigeration of goods.
Seasonal products are also increasingly valued, as they are more respectful of biodiversity, and their production adapts to local natural conditions, requiring less water and energy.
Here again, industry players are becoming increasingly involved in the subject. Auchan Retail, for example, has announced its intention to increase its offer of local products in all its outlets, through its Auchan 2022 corporate project.
The fight against food waste
According to a report by the Capgemini Research Institute, nearly 2.5 billion tonnes of food are thrown away every year. The environmental impact of this food waste amounts to between 8% and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Fresh foods are particularly affected by this situation, due to their perishable nature, their sensitivity to transport and storage conditions, and their short life cycle.
The stakes are particularly high in distribution: according to ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition, it accounts for 14% of food waste in France. Beyond the environmental impact, the financial stakes are colossal: the cost is estimated at €4.5 billion in losses for retailers.
However, the AGEC law, which came into force in 2020, has strengthened the regulatory framework in this area. For example, companies with annual sales in excess of €50 million are now subject to non-destruction of unsold stock and food donation obligations. The law has also enabled the creation of a national "anti-food waste" label.
Moving towards more transparent, high-quality fresh food products
The need to improve traceability
Traceability not only guarantees consumers' health safety, but also provides them with complete, reliable information on the origin of products, enabling them to make more informed consumer choices.
The legislative framework defines a number of rules for fresh food products, such as EC Regulation 178/2002 of January 28, 2002, which lays down procedures for food safety. However, traceability is still far from optimal.
The DGCCRF (Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes) conducted a survey in 2021, and the results "revealed that professionals are still too often negligent or wilfully disregard the rules, at all stages but particularly at the retail stage, to the detriment of proper consumer information". The survey mentions abusive use of promotional claims, confusing labelling, and non-compliant products... A concrete example: dates, which are subject to the highest rate of non-compliance, with 69% of non-compliant products.
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Promoting healthy eating
With consumers increasingly concerned about their health, the food industry is committed to offering healthier, less processed and higher quality products.
Fresh foods, and in particular seasonal products, are particularly popular for their nutritional qualities. New specialized retail chains are springing up, such as Carrefour's "Potager City" and "Grand marché frais d'ici".
Traditional distributors are increasingly focusing on education and signage: Casino, for example, has set up a seasonality barometer to guide consumers' choices, and sales of seasonal products have increased by 10-12%, according to an article in LSA.
The French Climate and Resilience Act plans to support this trend by requiring retail outlets over 400 m² to display information on the seasonality of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Moving towards more ethical eating
The animal welfare challenge
Consumers are increasingly sensitive to the conditions in which animals are raised, transported and slaughtered for food production, prompting producers and food industry companies to review their practices.
What's at stake? To ensure that animals enjoy dignified living conditions that respect their natural needs, by reducing stocking densities, improving transport conditions and adopting slaughter methods that minimize animal suffering.
Legislation is gradually getting to grips with the subject: the European Commission, for example, as part of its Farm to Fork strategy, is planning to improve the regulatory framework, particularly with regard to animal transport. At the same time, numerous certifications and labels are emerging on the market, providing guarantees of respect for animal welfare throughout the supply chain.
Fair remuneration for producers
The question of fair remuneration for producers is at the heart of sustainability issues in the fresh food sector. Often faced with considerable economic pressures, farmers and breeders are indeed often faced with major challenges in obtaining remuneration that reflects the value of their work and the quality of their products.
To address this concern, a growing number of initiatives aim to establish fair and stable prices for fresh produce, to ensure that producers receive fair remuneration that enables them to maintain sustainable farming practices while securing their livelihoods. The Egalim law, which came out of the “Etats Généraux de l'alimentation” in 2017, aims, for example, to achieve a better balance in commercial relations between the agri-food industry and supermarkets.
Labels guaranteeing fair trade are also gaining ground on the market, and the various players in the supply chain are adapting their practices. The Bel group, for example, is particularly advanced on this issue: for over 5 years, it has been negotiating with its main supplier, APBO (Association des Producteurs Bel de l'Ouest), an agreement guaranteeing purchase prices significantly higher than the market.
In conclusion, the CSR challenges facing the fresh food sector are numerous, and there is still a long way to go. At Klarys, we are particularly aware of these challenges, as we support our customers on a daily basis in the implementation of their responsible purchasing strategies.
In particular, we are convinced that the digitization of purchasing processes can significantly help industry to meet its CSR challenges, by helping buyers to:
- Find the suppliers and products that best meet their responsible purchasing criteria (labels, local distribution channels, etc.), thanks to a standardized purchasing referential.
- Use more reliable traceability data from end to end of the chain, right up to the consumer.
- Order as closely as possible to demand, thanks to tools such as artificial intelligence or machine learning, to reduce food waste and better manage resources.
In any case, one thing is certain: the industry is gradually moving towards food that is more respectful of the environment, animals and producers, while meeting consumers' growing expectations in terms of well-being and health.
