De Groene Weg launches EKO code for pork supply chain
De Groene Weg, subsidiary of Vion Food Group that focuses exclusively on organic meat, launches an EKO code for its pork supply chain on 1 January 2018. On Wednesday (November 28) a meeting about this took place with the suppliers’ association of De Groene Weg and supply chain partners. By introducing the EKO code, De Groene Weg commits to even more sustainable food production.
1 December 2017
3 minute read
By: The turnover of organic meat in The Netherlands is steadily increasing by on average 6 to 7 percent per year. Last year, De Groene Weg celebrated its 35th jubilee, and is now, in 2017, the undisputed market leader in the Dutch organic meat sector.
De Groene Weg Manager, Allard Bakker, said:
The market demand is the starting point for De Groene Weg. Society is rapidly changing; the consumer wishes to buy responsible food from sustainable, transparent supply chains. De Groene Weg wants to take on the role of pioneer in making organic food production even more sustainable. The EKO code gives us a guideline achieving this.
With the introduction of the EKO code, De Groene Weg fills in the new requirements of the EKO Label proactively. Starting from 1 January 2018, the Foundation EKO Label implements reforms within this label in order to further strengthen it and to make it distinctive. The foundation wants to load the EKO Label in accordance with the 4 principles of the international organic umbrella movement IFOAM: the principles of Honesty, Care, Health and Ecology. For this, the foundation has formulated twelve themes, which shape the EKO Label. The participants in the EKO Label must take steps regarding these themes.
Bakker explains:
With the EKO code, De Groene Weg, together with its suppliers, gives profound meaning to the twelve themes within the EKO Label. Within the EKO code, the suppliers of De Groene Weg can score themselves - with the use of an EKO code score card - in these areas.
The starting point is that the suppliers must determine at least two targets every year, which they must achieve in order to obtain a higher score on the score card the year after. This ensures that the organic pork supply chain of De Groene Weg becomes more sustainable year after year.
The EKO code of De Groene Weg starts on 1 January 2018. From that moment, communication to the consumer about this will also take place from - among others - the De Groene Weg butcheries.
For more information, click here
Source: Vion Food Group
Emily Houghton
Emily Houghton is a Zoology graduate from Cardiff University and was the editor of The Pig Site from October 2017 to May 2020. Emily has worked in livestock husbandry, and has written, conducted and assisted with research projects regarding the synthesis of welfare and productivity of free-range food species.
