December 2018 sees Foodstuffs New Zealand issuing an update on the many sustainability, people and business initiatives which have been completed or are still underway. The business’ social responsibility programme is wide-reaching and aims to fulfil the Co-operative’s responsibilities to their teams, the wider New Zealand community and environment.

Steve Anderson, CEO Foodstuffs South Island says, “It’s not enough for us to quietly go about our business, doing what we do every day to improve the lives of our team and customers. We need to be held to account for the decisions we make in every aspect of our operations to ensure we continue to improve. This Snapshot summarises many of the key projects we have undertaken and for which we have delivered great outcomes. In addition, it outlines some new priorities.”

Chris Quin, CEO Foodstuffs North Island concurs. “We set out to help New Zealanders get more out of life – whether that’s providing a great career opportunity to more than 30,000 employees, sourcing fantastic products from thousands of Kiwi suppliers or helping organisations like the Starship Foundation, Eat My Lunch and Kiwi Harvest support New Zealanders in need. Our responsibility doesn’t stop there. We’ve done some pretty awesome things to reduce our environmental footprint – including kicking off the discussion to ban single-use plastic bags, removing plastic microbeads and cotton buds, putting 28 electric delivery vehicles on the road nationwide and installing 50 electric vehicle fast-chargers at our stores.”

“The Foodstuffs ‘Looking After Our Patch’ Social Responsibility Snapshot, available in soft copy*, outlines the work done so far and highlights some of the key priorities for the business moving forward across the pillars of People, Planet and Community. Specifically, we want to ensure both Foodstuffs, and its stores, attract and retain incredible talent because the co-ops are known as great places to work. We want our customers to choose to shop with us because they know we care for our community and Papatūānuku.”

The Foodstuffs co-operative’s future is inherently interwoven into the fabric of New Zealand. Their brands such as Four Square, PAK'nSAVE and New World, have been serving communities for 95 years. They are ‘local’ in every sense of the word.

Anderson says, “Meeting customers’ needs both now and in the future is key. We are thankful for their support for our 100 per cent owned and operated New Zealand company. We are at the heart of every community and we acknowledge the role we play in making things better.  We couldn’t achieve what we do, every day, without the help of our 30,000 team members and partners.

“This Snapshot gives our team and our stakeholders a view of what matters to us and reflects the true spirit of cooperation within the co-operative.”

*Please find the report below: