Table 1.
Summary of Australian supermarket CSR policies to improve public health nutrition #.
| Public Health Nutrition Attribute | Supermarket CSR Policies | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coles | Woolworths | Metcash | ||||
| Policies | Quality | Policies | Quality | Policies | Quality | |
| Accessibility (i.e., location of stores, location of products, education and promotion initiatives to support selection of healthy foods) |
None | N/A | Free fruit is available for any child shopping with an adult. | Clear and specific | None | N/A |
| Availability (i.e., availability of foods to meet specific needs, including healthy and sustainable) |
None | N/A | None | N/A | None | N/A |
| Food cost and affordability (i.e., makes healthy foods affordable) |
None | N/A | The Affordable Healthy Index will be developed to help customers choose healthier and affordable baskets of foods. | Vague or not specific | None | N/A |
| Marketing campaigns where prices of healthier products are reduced, and tips and swaps for healthier eating are provided in stores. | Vague or not specific | |||||
| Food preferences and choices (i.e., assists consumers to select the foods that meet specific needs, and encourages selection of healthy or sustainable choices, via provision of information such as labels and signs) |
The Health Star Rating (HSR) is applied to the front-of-pack of SOBFs (1633 products). | Clear and specific | The Health Star Rating is applied to the front-of-pack of all eligible SOBFs (2200 products). | Clear and specific | None | N/A |
| A sourcing policy that prioritizes Australian-grown food is in place. Eighty percent of SOBFs are sourced in Australia. | Clear and specific | |||||
| SOBFs suitable for customers with special dietary requirements are provided (e.g., gluten free, vegetarian). | Vague or not specific | |||||
| Food safety and quality (including traceability, hygienic stores and avoidance of specific ingredients that are perceived to be harmful) |
Coles works with suppliers to ensure SOBFs are safe and high quality (e.g., by setting the Coles Manufacturing Supplier Standards). | Vague or not specific | SOBFs do not contain artificial colors or flavors, or MSG. | Clear and specific | SOB ‘Community Co’ foods excludes artificial flavors and colors and genetically modified ingredients. | Clear and specific |
| SOBFs do not contain 28 artificial colors, and other additives are not used when possible. | Clear and specific | |||||
| Nutritional quality (including foods, nutrients and portion sizes that support healthy eating) |
Targets to reduce sodium, sugar and saturated fat have been set for SOBFs. Prioritized product ranges include ‘nutritional snacks and cereals’ and sausages. | Vague or not specific | Targets to reduce sodium, sugar and saturated fat have been set for SOBFs. | Vague or not specific | None | N/A |
| Coles has an internal working group, including nutritionists, which focused on delivering healthier choices across SOBFs. | Vague or not specific | New SOBFs will improve the nutritional quality of the product portfolio. | Vague or not specific | |||
| Woolworths has a cross-functional health working group, including nutritionists, and is supported by the executive committee to embed a health strategy. | Vague or not specific | |||||
| Sustainability: animal welfare (e.g., sustainable fishing practices, sells cage-free eggs, bans products due to animal welfare concerns) |
SOB animal welfare standards are based on the five freedoms of animals. | Vague or not specific | Own brand eggs are cage free. | Clear and specific | Phasing out SOB cage eggs by the end of 2018. | Clear and specific |
| SOB eggs are cage-free with animal welfare certification (e.g., RSPCA). | Clear and specific | Adopted an animal welfare standard for SOB Farmers Own milk. | Vague or not specific | |||
| SOB fish and seafood is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, Aquaculture Stewardship Council or meets Coles Responsibly Sourced seafood criteria. | Vague or not specific | SOB fish and seafood is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Best Aquaculture Practice and Global GAP. | Clear and specific | |||
| SOB beef has no added hormones, and antibiotics are only allowed for animal health purposes under veterinary supervision. | Clear and specific | SOB seafood products are labeled with certification eco-labels. | Clear and specific | |||
| SOB chicken meat is from suppliers with animal welfare certification (e.g., RSPCA). | Clear and specific | All SOB fresh chicken is from suppliers with RSPCA certification. | Clear and specific | |||
| SOB pork is sow-stall free. | Clear and specific | |||||
| Sustainability: food and packaging waste (e.g., reduce food waste, source packaging materials from sustainable sources) |
Target set to work with suppliers to halve food waste. | Vague or not specific | Targets set to reduce the amount of food sent to landfill by reducing stock loss, improving store waste management and working with farmers. | Vague or not specific | Aim to reduce waste sent to landfill. | Vague or not specific |
| Reusable plastic crates have been introduced for fruit, vegetables, poultry, red meat and salads to reduce product damage and reduce food waste. | Vague or not specific | The SOB ‘Odd Bunch’ was created to sell misshapen fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices. | Vague or not specific | |||
| Launched three fresh produce SOBFs that use vegetables, which would otherwise contribute to landfill. | Vague or not specific | The packaging format for SOB potato and pasta salads was changed to reduce the amount of plastic used. | Vague or not specific | |||
| Launched a SOB banana bread, which uses bananas that would have otherwise gone to landfill. | Vague or not specific | |||||
| SOB fresh beef, pork and lamb mince are packaged in an ultra-high barrier renewable and recyclable material. | Vague or not specific | |||||
| SOB packaging will be recyclable by 2020. | Clear and specific | |||||
| Sustainability: product and ingredient sourcing (e.g., coffee, soy, organic) |
Only Certified Sustainable Palm Oil is used in SOBF. | Clear and specific | Only Certified Sustainable Palm Oil is used in SOBF. | Clear and specific | Only Certified Sustainable Palm Oil is used in SOBFs. | Clear and specific |
| Palm oil is specifically identified on ingredients lists rather than the generic term ‘blended vegetable oils’ in SOBFs. | Clear and specific | SOB sugar will be certified by Bonsucro. | Vague or not specific | |||
| SOB coffee is certified by UTZ, Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance. | Clear and specific | A SOB range of sustainably certified tea will be launched in 2018, with all own brand tea certified by 2020. | Clear and specific | |||
| SOB tea is certified by UTZ, Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance. | Clear and specific | |||||
| SOB cocoa and chocolate will be from certified sources by 2020. | Clear and specific | |||||