Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which ranked 2023 as the hottest year globally based on records going back to 1850, underscores the undeniable need for sustainability. This is a core belief in the philosophy and business vision of the Spanish company Greenfood Ibérica, part of the Scandinavian Greenfood group, which recently held an event on sustainability and biodiversity to talk about the work it's been doing in recent years.
"I remember being at a Greenfood group conference in Sweden in 2019, around the time Greta Thunberg made her speech at the UN, which had a huge media impact in the country. At that time, we saw that sustainability was a strategic goal we needed to develop, despite the significant amount of work it would entail, and we decided to do so through our brand Daily Greens," says Jussi Alitalo, CEO of Greenfood Ibérica.
"When a consumer goes to the supermarket, they don't know if a product is sustainable or not, but we all want to do the right thing, especially if it can be done simply, and contribute to improving the planet. That's why, with Daily Greens, we want to offer consumers an option that guarantees that, simply by making that choice, they are making a positive impact on the world; that they will have a healthy meal and help society and the environment."
Initiatives for the environment and for people
"All our producers are GlobalG.A.P. and IFS certified, so the food safety of their productions is guaranteed. Also, in addition to having a GRASP certification, they adhere to our own code of conduct, which strictly prohibits any form of discrimination."
"On a social level, people who are not directly related to our company also benefit from our actions," says Jussi. "We are currently helping students, many of whom are children of immigrants working in agriculture in Almeria, to engage in extracurricular activities, providing them with materials for vocational training. We are also collaborating with a disability association, supporting them to form a basketball team."
"Speaking of the environment, we are focusing on water, carbon footprint and biodiversity. In the first phase of Daily Greens, we launched a reforestation program, through which we are planting a tree for every ton of branded products sold," says Jussi. "And now we are working on reducing the carbon footprint of all our Daily Greens producers by 52% by 2030."
"That's why we organized this event. We wanted to find a way to get all our producers together in a meeting with the Valencian company Quality & Adviser, so they could talk about the efforts they are making in terms of sustainability, carbon reduction and biodiversity, as well as share their doubts and concerns. The thing is that we often see supermarket chains in Northern Europe asking for sustainability, but they don't specify what exactly needs to be done to achieve it."
"Distributors and consumers appreciate being able to contribute to the environment"
Vegetable, stone fruit, grape and citrus growers from Almeria, Valencia or Murcia, working with Greenfood Ibérica have implemented integrated pest management in greenhouse and open ground crops, smart irrigation systems to optimize water consumption, and are trying to promote animal and plant biodiversity in the fields. Also, the company has opted for multimodal transport, aiming to promote maritime shipments over road transport and reduce the amount of kilometers traveled without any load.
"In Scandinavia, where Greenfood receives our Daily Greens products, new facilities have also been built that meet the group's sustainability principles and are currently among the most modern and environmentally-friendly in the region."
"In the markets where we operate, both through the Greenfood group as a purchasing center, and with our clients in Europe, there are distributors and consumers willing to pay for all this effort, because they appreciate being able to contribute positively to the environment. The big challenge was for the consumer to get a clear picture of the scale of the work we are doing, and we are achieving that with our brand."
For more information:
Greenfood Ibérica
Avda. Catalunya, 33-35
17253 Mont-ras, Girona. Spain
Tel.: +34 972 63 65 59
https://greenfoodiberica.es