Farming

Being a farmer itself, Waitrose understands the challenges of maintaining high standards.

But it practises what it preaches. Working with its farmers, growers and other suppliers, it ensures the best standards in quality, safety, environment and animal welfare are applied across its supply chain, supported by its own inspections and farm assurance schemes.

Food safety and hygiene

Waitrose upholds high standards of food safety and hygiene, and endeavours to use the best farming techniques for the environment. These include:

• HACCP: all products must have Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems. Used in food production, these identify potential hazards before they arise and ensure control measures are implemented to reduce those risks. This provides the risk assessment required by food hygiene regulations.
• ICM: Waitrose sources its fruit and vegetable produce from conventional crops using Integrated Crop Management (ICM) systems, which ensure the best horticultural practices, site selection and husbandry, and minimal use of chemicals. ICM techniques like 'spraying to threshold', when pesticides are only used once pests exceed a predetermined level, are applied on its estate at Leckford.
• LEAF: Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) is an independent charitable organisation that helps farmers to improve business performance, lower environmental impacts, conserve the British countryside for future generations and strengthen links with the public. Waitrose is the only retailer that insists all its British growers adopt the LEAF standard.

Meeting farmers half way

With British producers facing ever-increasing expectations - to deliver traceability, meet higher environmental standards and maintain the countryside - Waitrose believes experiences should be shared. Initiatives such as 'meet the buyer' run every year and in every UK region, giving suppliers, large and small, direct access to Waitrose buyers and food technologists, and helping them to understand first-hand Waitrose's expectations. Supplier conferences and industry workshops help smaller producers to understand food legislation and help to ensure best practice is shared throughout Waitrose's supply chain and beyond.

Organic farming

Organic farming standards promote sustainable production, support more farmland wildlife, limit the use of chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides on the land and routinely avoid antibiotics. Organic food also tastes great, so it's no wonder Waitrose has been selling organic produce for over 20 years. Twice voted 'Organic Supermarket of the Year' by the Soil Association, one of the organisations that certifies products to organic standards, Waitrose aims to offer the widest possible range of organic food and even launched its own range of Social Association organic toiletries in 2007.