The Co-operative, the current holder of the RSPCA People’s Choice Supermarket title, is once again in the running for the prestigious award.
The retailer is encouraging its customers and members to take part in the public vote to ensure it retains the top spot in 2010. The Co-operative is among three finalists for the accolade, which is part of the annual RSPCA Good Business Awards.
This year, The Co-operative has been shortlisted because of its commitments to the Freedom Foods standard, higher-welfare poultry, free-range eggs, outdoor-reared beef and strict welfare standards for its own-brand pork.
The consumer-owned retailer has continued its commitment to ethical trading, extending its reach to the Somerfield stores it acquired last year.
Finalists for this coveted RSPCA award have been chosen by a panel of expert judges, based on each retailer’s commitment to achieving the highest standards of animal welfare. The other finalists for 2010 are Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
Sean Toal, The Co-operative Food’s Commercial Director, said: “We are very proud to have been selected, for the second year running, as a finalist for the RSPCA People’s Choice Supermarket award.
“Being shortlisted again is a fantastic endorsement of our continuing work to raise animal welfare standards and to offer higher-welfare meat and poultry products across our enlarged estate, whilst maintaining our commitment to providing our customers with excellent quality products, great stores and value for money. We’re hoping that our loyal customers and members will once again support us by voting for The Co-operative.”
People can vote for The Co-operative below or by clicking on www.independent.co.uk/voterspca or texting COOP to 60022. Voting opens Monday 16 August and closes 23.59 Friday 10 September.
Additional Information
The Co-operative’s top five animal welfare achievements, on which voting is based, are:
1. Freedom Food - The Co-operative was the first retailer to adopt the RSPCA’s Freedom Food scheme back in 1994. With over 4,000 Co-operative stores nationwide and 23 million customers weekly, the retailer offers the most widely available range of Freedom Food products in the UK. In 2008, the RSPCA presented The Co-operative with a Lifetime Achievement award for its commitment to animal welfare.
2. Free-range eggs - The Co-operative and Somerfield only sell eggs that are British and that are Freedom Food free range or organic. We do not sell any eggs from caged hens. All eggs used as an ingredient in Co-operative own-brand products are also free range. The Co-operative was the first retailer to accurately label all egg boxes with the method of production, initially breaking the law in the labelling of intensively-produced eggs.
3. Higher-welfare poultry - The Elmwood standard was first introduced in 2007, when The Co-operative carefully selected a group of dedicated British poultry farmers to embrace its own higher welfare and quality standards for its fresh plain whole chickens.
Elmwood has now been rolled out as a minimum standard to all The Co-operative’s own-brand fresh, frozen, barbecue, breaded and ready-to-eat chicken, as well as fresh and frozen own-brand whole turkeys and crowns and fresh turkey pieces.
4. Outdoor-reared beef – The Co-operative and Somerfield refuse to sell intensively-reared indoor beef. All The Co-operative’s own-brand beef is reared outdoors on open pasture, where the cattle graze on grass for most of the year, and is 100% British.
5. Pork - All our own-brand pork, pork sausage, pre-packed and deli bacon and pre-packed and deli ham (excluding continental meats) is produced from pigs born and reared in Britain.
Please note, all of the above products are available in both Co-operative and Somerfield stores.
For further information, please contact:
Michelle Henderson
Public Relations Manager
The Co-operative Group
Tel: 0161 827 5290
Email: michelle.henderson@co-operative.coop