We aim to offer the best products with optimum control over quality and costs. To do this, we balance local and international sourcing and strive for sustainable trade.

We believe that sustainable trade is about respect for our suppliers and the communities that depend on them, as well as protecting the planet. We choose our suppliers carefully and invest energy into these relationships. In the developing world, we build trust, responsibility and ambition to help our suppliers create businesses that are both commercially and ecologically sustainable.

Our three key objectives in sustainable trade fall into three areas:

  • Product safety: providing safe products to customers in all our markets is non-negotiable. It is the foundation for helping to safeguard our customers’ health and wellbeing.
  • Responsible sourcing: we take steps to ensure that our suppliers respect the rights of their workers and provide safe working conditions while at the same time preserving the environment.
  • Buying close to home: buying locally can be good for the environment and help communities and small and local businesses to develop.

Product safety

We have always considered food safety as a top priority. Our companies apply strict food safety policies and procedures that meet the highest international standards.

We also require our corporate brand suppliers to take the necessary product safety measures and to demonstrate compliance with internationally accepted standards, and we support them in that process. 

Our commitment is demonstrated by our involvement in the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), of which we are a founding member. Ahold was the first company to require GFSI recognized certifications of its suppliers. 

Safety is part of sustainability - how the products we sell are grown and handled throughout the supply chain. We work to ensure they are produced under fair social conditions and with respect for the environment. 

Responsible Sourcing

Contracts that we sign with our suppliers contain the 'Ahold Standards of Engagement' that establish clear minimum standards regarding issues such as working conditions on the basis of the International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines.

Ahold is in the process of implementing the BSCI program with all of its corporate brand suppliers in high-risk countries. The Business Social Compliance Initiative is an organization in Brussels that supports more than 200 international companies in their efforts to monitor and improve working conditions in the global value chain.

Additionally, Ahold is also committed to take part in discussions and join organizations that work toward improvements across the entire food industry.

Our policies

Supply chain standards: Ahold is committed to developing and maintaining a strong relationship with suppliers of corporate brand products in order to ensure their compliance with legal requirements and beyond this, compliance with Ahold standards regarding food safety, non-food safety and social accountability. This includes transparency throughout the supply chain and influence over the ways that our products are produced and sourced. We do not work with suppliers who do not adhere to our strict policies and, as a consequence, we have occasionally terminated contracts with suppliers in breach of our standards. In case of minor non-compliances a corrective action plan is often agreed upon.

Child Labor: In our supply chain, we uphold compliance with fundamental workers’ rights as codified in national labor legislation and the core International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions. These rights include prevention of forced and child labor, freedom of association, non-discrimination and equal remuneration for equal work. Child labor is not permitted in either our stores or our distribution centers. Wherever we operate, we maintain high employment standards and ensure fundamental workers’ rights, which include the prohibition of child labor.
 
Human Rights: Ahold acknowledges the rights of the workers at our suppliers. We help suppliers grow their businesses in a responsible and sustainable way and request third party audits of our suppliers corporate brand on compliance with local, national and international standards. All our suppliers are required to sign our Standards of Engagement, which outline our requirements for sustainable trade. These standards stipulate compliance with International Labour Organization (ILO) Core Conventions and set minimum standards on issues such as legal compliance, employment matters and workers’ rights. Ahold is in the process of implementing the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) program with corporate brand suppliers in high-risk countries.
 
Animal welfare: We aim to improve living conditions for animals, while, at the same time, delivering safe, quality products. We respect local regulations on animal welfare and often implement even stricter controls. We do not sell products derived from cloned animals or their offspring. Our companies are engaged in dialogue with various stakeholders about animal welfare-related issues to address possible concerns. For instance, we supported the establishment of a European Animal Welfare Platform to discuss matters of concern about animal welfare with suppliers, researchers, NGOs and other retailers. We are also involved in a European research initiative called Welfare Quality to create a science-based measurement tool for animal welfare.
 
Animal testing: We do not commission any animal testing and no current corporate brand health and beauty products are tested on animals.  
 
Seafood: We aim to offer sustainable seafood in our stores. We do this by selling seafood that is harvested in a sustainable way by actively working with the industry, NGOs and governments to monitor and improve long-term viability of fish stocks. We have a group-wide seafood sustainability policy which includes ten rules for the sourcing and sale of seafood including assessment tools to measure supplier performance. Moreover, we continually improve our assortment by including more sustainable seafood products. We work on developing a more sustainable approach to seafood with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), New England Aquarium and Shedd Aquarium amongst others. Our European companies have strong relationships with the WWF and work with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which runs a sustainable fisheries certification program. Ahold USA operating companies announced their support of the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions’ Common Vision, a consensus statement on sustainability developed by 15 NGOs.

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