With over 18 million customers each week Sainsbury’s has a real impact on UK consumers. Five principles underpin our activities. As a leading food retailer we focus on being the ‘best for food and health’ which is why we are committed to ‘sourcing with integrity’. Because we source from all over the world and sell in the UK we have to show ‘respect for our environment’ and play an active role in the communities we serve ‘making a positive difference to our community’. All this is possible through the commitment of our colleagues so that Sainsbury’s is ‘a great place to work’.
Stakeholders trust the company to act responsibly on their behalf and this is an integral part of the Sainsbury’s brand. In the current economic climate, our values remain just as important and relevant and although customers are increasingly price-conscious, ethical and environmental issues remain important for them.
Sainsbury’s was the first UK food retailer to publish an environment report which we did in 1996. We continue to report on environmental issues although the report is now expanded to cover the fuller range of issues now commonly referred to under the umbrella of corporate responsibility.
Best for food and health
Sainsbury’s approach is to help and inspire customers to eat a healthy balanced diet by promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles. We aim to make products as healthy as possible without compromising taste and quality and promote clear and transparent labelling to help customers make informed choices about the food they eat. Sainsbury’s promotes healthy eating inspiring customers to cook via successful campaigns such as ‘Feed your Family for a Fiver’ and simple ‘tip card’ ideas, 50 per cent of which contain at least one portion of fruit or vegetables towards an individual’s recommended 5-a-day. Twenty-five per cent of the ideas on tip cards are also rated as ‘healthier’.
As part of the Company’s commitment to the responsible sale of alcohol, from September 2009 we will be introducing a ‘Think 25’ policy across all stores, building on the ‘Think 21’ policy introduced in September 2005.
Highlights during the year
Basics: ‘basics’ sales up 60 per cent year-on-year in the last quarter of the year. We continue to apply our front of pack Multiple Traffic Light labelling to all relevant products, including our basics range, making it easier for customers to make healthy and affordable choices at a glance.
Saturated fat: Dairy is one of the major contributors of saturated fat to the UK diet. Our ‘1 per cent fat’ milk, launched in April 2008, has the same taste and calcium content as semi-skimmed milk but nearly half the fat and is now consumed in around two and a half million UK households.
Sugar: We have reduced the sugar or sucralose in all of our squash lines by ten per cent. Over 65 per cent of our own brand bottled and carbonated squash and over 90 per cent of our own brand squash contain no added sugar.
Fibre: In 2008 we introduced a number of products with higher fibre content including a wholemeal ‘basics’ loaf, one of our top three selling ‘basics’ bakery products. Sales of the new loaf almost doubled in the three months following its launch.
Sourcing with integrity
Sourcing with integrity is about offering products that are better for customers, the environment and the animals, farmers and suppliers involved in their production. Sainsbury’s is committed to offering British products at their best, when in season and when the quality meets customers’ expectations. We have a long history of supporting British farmers and helping to raise capability and skills to create sustainable businesses and long-term relationships.
Our 2009 Corporate Responsibility report will be published on 13 July and is available online at www.j-sainsburys.co.uk/cr