Waitrose executive director James Bailey has claimed the “era of cheap food is over,” days before the grocer is due to unveil a new initiative to support its British farmers in switching to regenerative agriculture.
The move will make the supermarket the first to set out such a clear commitment across its store to net zero, including in its meat and dairy goods, The Telegraph reports.
Regenerative agriculture is a philosophy of farming centred around protecting soil to enhance its ability to store carbon and biodiversity, according to the publication.
The supermarket is set to give farmers an assessment of how well nature is doing on their land, support them in accessing affordable financing, and create land management plans, using research from the University of Reading and Leaf (Linking Environment & Farming).
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Bailey said: “I think we’re seeing the end of the era of cheap food, because of the impact of that cheap food – not just on people’s health but the external impact, the environmental impact, the societal impact of that cheap food.
“We need to witness the end of cheap food and a reversal of the value of the food people are eating.”
The move comes as the industry faces increasing pressure to source food in a more sustainable way.
In March, Tesco, Aldi and Sainsbury’s were among more than 30 food businesses calling for government action to tackle food waste.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and anti-food waste organisation Too Good To Go led an open letter, with signatories including M&S, Lidl, Waitrose, Danone, Nestle and Innocent Drinks, urging the government to introduce mandatory public food waste reporting.
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