One of our key suppliers Barfoots of Botley has recently been featured on the popular BBC programme, The One Show.   Food critic Jay Rayner, visited Barfoots to understand all their work on sustainable agriculture, particularly around anaerobic digestion, waste control and energy production.   Barfoots built their anaerobic digestion plant in 2010 which generates […]

This new report form Newcastle is another positive pointer for organic foods. Organic farming continues to play an important role in our business and is really important to our customers. The issues raised in this report mostly tie in with those we have raised in the Waitrose Farm assessment and the current drive in conventional […]

Last week another report was published linking neonicotinoids to a decline in farmland birds. Many other reports have some chemicals in this group with the decline of bees and pollinators. The reasons for this decline are hotly disputed with land use being  cited as a key reason. However with the EU three neonicotinoids ( clothianidin, imidacloprid […]

The Waitrose Science Day will take place at the University of Warwick on Tuesday 18th February 2014. The day will be a fantastic opportunity for delegates to hear updates from suppliers, academics and Waitrose representatives on key projects relating to sustainability and the Waitrose Farm Assessment.   A provisional program for the day is available here.   Registration […]

The Waitrose Farm Assessment (WFA) is an initiative which was conceived by the Agronomy Group in 2011. Over the past year all of our fresh produce suppliers and growers have completed the assessments which cover the key issues of safety, sustainability and quality. The final report from the first version of the assessment is now available to […]

British families throw away an average of the equivalent of six meals per week in food waste, research has suggested. Publicly-funded recycling group the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) said this would amount to £60 a month for a household.   WRAP said buying too much, serving large portions and confusion over food labelling […]

WFA Report launch with attendance from our Academic Partners – Tuesday 12th November 2013 – Evening session from 5pm and Waitrose Technical Conference – Wednesday 13th November 2013 – Arrival from 8.30am   The evening session on Tuesday 12th November will be the official launch of the Waitrose Farm Assessment (version 1) Report (WFA) 2013. […]

The levels of gases in the atmosphere that drive global warming increased to a record high in 2012.   According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), atmospheric CO2 grew more rapidly last year than its average rise over the past decade.   Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide also broke previous records. Thanks to carbon […]

The 2013 Organic market report highlights key areas of growth in online retail, independent outlets and a shift towards younger consumers during 2012. Overall, the market has dipped by 1.5% as the UK continues through its most challenging economic downturn for many decades. However, the report predicts a positive future for the UK organic market.

Aberystwyth University has unveiled ambitious plans to redevelop its agriculture research facilities into a £35m innovation centre. Its Gogerddan campus outside of the town is to become the Aberystwyth Innovation and Diffusion Campus (Aidc). A £14.5m grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) includes £2.5m for research into improving upland farming. The […]