Bord Bia's Origin Green members continue to make progress across a range of sustainability initiatives.
This according to its Progress Update Report 2021 launched earlier today by Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
Bord Bia also said today that 50 Irish food, drink and horticulture companies had achieved gold membership status based on exemplary performance in reaching their sustainability targets.
This marks a 100% increase on last year, reflecting raised ambition in the programme and sustainability from industry members.
The companies include Ornua, Britvic Ireland, Glania, Liffey Meats, Irish Distillers, Ballymaloe Foods, Eastcoast Bakehouse, Belview Eggs, Butlers, Dawn Meats, Grove Turkeys, Kepak Group, ABP Group, Kerry Fish and Slaney Foods.
Others include Áine's Handmade Chocolate, Annalitten Foods, Arthur Mallon Foods, Atlantis Seafood, Carbery, Carleton Cakes, Codd Mushrooms, Drioglann Sliabh Liag, Durrus Cheese, E Flahavans, Feldhues, Folláin, Galmere Fresh Foods, Glenilen, Great Northern Distillery, Greenhill Fruit Farm, Hazelbrook Confectionery, Irish Fish Canners, Island Seafoods Ltd, Janet's Country Fayre, K&K Produce, Kearney's Home Baking, Kerry Fish, Newgrange Gold, Nick's Fish, Norfish, Oceanpath, Oliver Carty Pork & Bacon, O'Shea Farms, Sam Dennigan, Shannon Vale Foods, Slaney Farms Produce, Tea & Coffee Warehouse, The Nestbox Egg Company, William Grant & Sons and Wyeth Nutrition.
Since it was established in 2012, Origin Green has grown to collaborate with 55,000 farms and over 300 leading Irish food and drink companies to prove and improve their sustainability practices to meet the evolving needs of global customers and consumers.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said that sustainability is at the centre of Food Vision 2030, the new ten-year strategy for the Irish agri-food sector.
"The requirement to deliver continuous improvement and proof of environmental sustainability comes from a powerful combination of changing societal and consumer demands; and the requirements of major trade customers for Irish food and drink," the Minister said
"Of direct relevance is the strategy's goal to strengthen and invest in Origin Green and other sustainability supports to reflect the higher level of ambition for the agri-food sector. I believe that this strategy sets the agri-food sector on a new and challenging pathway, but one which also comes with great opportunity," he added.
Tara McCarthy, CEO of Bord Bia, said the evidence of environmental improvements, and verified by international auditors Mabbett, highlights that the programme's vast scale across the Irish food and drink industry are what makes Origin Green unique and effective.
"Our recent Global Sustainability Survey of over 11,000 consumers and 125 trade buyers across 13 key markets demonstrated, not only the increasing importance of sustainability, but also the growing importance of evidence and data to back up sustainability," Tara McCarthy said.
"Our members are responding to this, by setting and achieving meaningful sustainability goals in their businesses. Origin Green will continue to evolve and adapt to best support our members to drive positive and lasting change across the supply chain," she added.
