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Value chain continued
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Material topics along
our value chain
Partnering to source
sustainably from the
Greek seas
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Overview
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Financials
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Ahold Delhaize Annual Report 2016
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For more detail, see Material sustainability topics.
Some of the material challenges associated
with the production of food are product
safety, working conditions, human rights, food
waste, climate change and transparency.
Ahold Delhaize identified these as material
areas to address because of their importance to
us as a company, but also to our customers, the
industry and our wider group of stakeholders.
At home, our customers use the products
they buy from us. Consumption impacts
the health and well-being of our customers,
as well the broader communities we serve.
Relevant material topics at this phase of the
value chain include food waste, healthy lifestyles
and product safety and quality.
Value chains are complex and they are different
for every product we sell. In the case of food, the
first step in the chain takes place on the farms
where the raw materials are grown. During the
next step, these raw materials are turned into the
products we sell. Sometimes we simply wash and
package the product, and sometimes it takes
more than one step and multiple ingredients.
Within our own direct distribution and retail
operations we bring products together, move
them efficiently, and sell them to our customers.
Relevant material topics at this stage are:
product safety and quality; an affordable and
healthy assortment; compliance and regulation;
clean and safe stores; associate development
and diversity; and the management of food
waste within our operations.
At the same time, a second collaboration
with WWF Greece and others is driving
toward more responsible aquaculture.
Through adapting the standards of the
Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
to the requirements of Mediterranean
species, the project aims to reach ASC
certification for three farms supplying
AB with sea bream and sea bass.
Case study
AB Vassilopoulos, in collaboration
with WWF Greece, fishermen, seafood
suppliers, scientists, and other partners
since 2011, is creating sustainable options
for wild caught and farmed fish from the
Mediterranean Sea. The multi-year Fishery
Improvement Project for the Kavala
sardine fleet is well on its way to bringing
the local fleet to the sustainability level
of the Marine Stewardship Council
standards, and ultimately to certification.
In the end, AB will be able to provide
customers with traceable and sustainable
seafood, while supporting the long-term
viability of the fish stocks and local
fishing economy.
