A West Sussex food company has teamed up with the McDonald’s restaurant chain to boost its green credentials this Christmas as part of a new supply chain initiative launched by the government-funded Envirowise programme.

Natures Way Foods has joined the year-round initiative which is designed to encourage food and drink companies and their suppliers to reduce waste and save money - by using water, energy and raw materials more efficiently.

The Chichester-based company supplies washed and ready-to-eat salads to major supermarkets and leading companies in the food service sector, including McDonald’s and was one of the first prepared produce companies to gain ISO14001 accreditation in the UK. They employ 520 people in the region and supply approximately 6,000 tonnes of salad a year to McDonalds.

Lee Herring, Account Manager at Natures Way Foods, said: “Working in partnership with McDonald’s and Envirowise will help us improve our environmental performance further, particularly during the busy Christmas period when there is increased demand and shorter lead-times. Having access to such expertise and best practice advice can only make us a better company. And working more closely with McDonald’s has also made us a better supplier to all our other customers."

The four-stage programme of activity, which should take about six months, comprises an introductory workshop, free on-site waste reviews, targeted training workshops and impact assessment for all participating businesses. 

McDonald’s already has an environmental management programme for all its food and paper suppliers which addresses environmental impacts associated with growing, processing, converting, packaging and distributing food and packaging items.

Jessica Sansom, Environment Manager at McDonald’s Restaurants Limited said: “We felt that the Envirowise food and drink initiative was an excellent way of extending the work that we have already undertaken with our suppliers, including Natures Way Foods, by providing them with some practical advice and information on how to improve both their environmental and business performance.”

Natures Way Foods joins the initiative as research by the Envirowise programme - which offers free, confidential advice to help businesses in all sectors reduce their environmental impact and identify costs savings – reveals that many of the UK’s retailers are failing to develop effective supply chain relationships.

The programme found that, whilst most retailers and wholesalers (91%) are in weekly contact with the supply chain, and see that value of effective supply chain management (94%), few are putting in place the collaborative programmes and processes that can underpin competitiveness and agility, particularly when under pressure.

Katie Plummer, Envirowise Regional Manager for the South East, said: “This supply chain initiative is run by specialists who understand the industry and issues affecting it. Our experience has shown that improved resource efficiency can save up to one per cent of turnover by putting into place simple, low cost measures. And both host companies and suppliers can achieve significant cost savings and improved customer relationships by sharing best practice and working together in this way.”

To find out more about the Supply Chain Initiative - or for general advice on how to reduce waste and boost profits - visit www.envirowise.gov.uk or call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794. 

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Notes to Editors:

Also working with Envirowise as host companies on the Food & Drink Supply Chain Initiative are Asda, Novotel, and Tate & Lyle.

The Supply Chain research was carried out for Envirowise by Critical 2 in September 2005, amongst retail and wholesale businesses employing between six and 250 people.

About Envirowise

Envirowise delivers a valuable programme of confidential advice to UK businesses.  This advice enables businesses to improve profitability by improving their environmental efficiency.

Independent, practical and proven guidance is available through the Envirowise Advice Line, information resources, delivered by a team of expert advisors.  Each solution is driven by the specific needs of individual firms, to genuinely improve their business practices, profitability and competitiveness.  Since 1994, Envirowise has helped UK industry save £1 billion.

The Envirowise programme is available to any UK business, completely free of charge. For more information visit www.envirowise.gov.uk or call 0800 585 794.