ahold: stop the soy greenwash!

Call on the retail multinational Ahold to stop hiding behind poor guidelines and put an end to the use of unsustainable soy in animal feed.

Soy plantations in Brazil. © BothENDS

In 2004 the Round Table for Responsible Soy (RTRS) was established to address the problems of large-scale soy cultivation in South America. Those problems include the destruction of forests and savannahs, pollution caused by pesticides, health impacts and human rights violations.

After five years of talking the Round Table have finally agreed on criteria for so called responsible soy production. Unfortunately these criteria go nowhere near to solving the problem. Many important issues have not even been addressed; monitoring and enforcement is weak and no agreement has been reached on stopping deforestation. Worst of all, genetically manipulated soy will soon be labelled as ‘responsible’.

We need your help to make clear that this is not a solution

The Netherlands based retail multinational Ahold, which operates in Europe and the United States, is an influential member of the Round Table for Responsible Soy. Through its supermarket subsidiaries it is selling meat that has been reared on irresponsibly produced soy in Latin America.

Friends of the Earth Netherlands / Milieudefensie are targeting Ahold's Dutch supermarket subsidiary Albert Heijn which in 2008 made 608 million euros in profit, half of Ahold’s total profits. It is the largest meat retailer in the Netherlands. In response the supermarket points to Ahold’s participation in the RTRS as the best solution to address the negative impacts of soy expansion.

ahold action on soy 2 Soy grown in Brazil. © BothENDSWhile Friends of the Earth Netherlands puts pressure on Albert Heijn we want the parent company to know that the whole world is watching.

take action

Friends of the Earth International are calling on Ahold to take real measures to stop the use of unsustainable soy in animal feed.

Please e-mail Ahold and demand that they stop hiding behind the Round Table and instead takes real measures to stop the use of unsustainable soy in animal feed. They can do this by providing more and cheaper alternatives to meat on its shelves, asking suppliers to make more use of European animal feed such as peas, beans and lupines and seeing to it that the soy that is needed meets strict social and environmental criteria which have the support of the groups directly affected by the impacts of soy production.

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To:  Mr John Rishton, CEO, Ahold N.V.
CC: Ms. Saskia Aalbers, Head Corporate Affairs Europe, Albert Heijn

Dear Mr Rishton,

In South America forests and savannahs are destroyed for the large-scale cultivation of soy.
The majority of this soy is used as animal feed for factory farming in Europe and China.

As a large international retailer AHOLD must bear responsibility for the wider impacts of producing the meat that is sold in its supermarkets.

Friends of the Earth and others have called for an end to this 'tragedy behind cheap meat'.
Hiding behind the Round Table for Responsible Soy will not address these issues.

After five years of discussions Round Table have finally agreed on criteria for so called responsible soy production. Unfortunately these criteria go nowhere near solving the problems.

Many important issues remain unaddressed, monitoring and enforcement are weak and no agreement has been reached on stopping deforestation. Worst of all, genetically manipulated soy will soon be labelled as ‘responsible’.

In your 2008 Annual Report, you wrote:

"Our customers, investors, suppliers, employees and the communities we serve expect us to take environmental and social interests into account."
 
I call upon you to live up to your words, stop hiding behind the Round Table and instead take real measures to stop the use of unsustainable soy in animal feed.

You can do this by providing more and cheaper alternatives to meat on your
supermarkets' shelves, asking suppliers to make more use of European animal feed such as peas, beans and lupines and seeing to it that the soy that is needed meets strict social and environmental criteria which have the support of those groups directly affected by the impacts of its production.

I look forward to your response.

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ahold: stop the soy greenwash!

We need your help to make clear that this is not a solution

take action

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