Sainsbury’s launches first ever supermarket organic box scheme

With the continuing demand in growth for organic food - AC Nielsen Data for 52 weeks to 3rd July 2006 shows sales for Sainsbury's SO organic up 18.4% year on year - customers are looking for more convenient ways to go organic everyday and keep up a healthy and varied diet.

Sainsbury's is hoping that this scheme will further widen consumer opportunity to buy into seasonal UK grown produce.

Sainsbury's SO organic box will initially go on trial at the end of August 2006, available to approximately 500,000 customers in the East Midlands and Anglia. The Soil Association certified box will be available to order on line and will contain eight types of seasonal organic fresh produce only sourced from UK organic farms.

The box will have a fixed cost at under £15, can be ordered as frequently or occasionally as the customer requires and has the added convenience of being delivered with the rest of the customers online shop.

Sainsbury's organic produce buyer, Russell Crowe says; "This is a huge push for the UK organic industry and supports Sainsbury's ongoing commitment to British farmers and producers. Its fantastic that we are able to draw together the best of British product in season by using our national network of growers."

The offer will aim to support local food economy however depending on demand and in order to maintain consistency, although the year round service will never import items, it will use nationwide sourcing.

Encouraging customers to try something new, the initiative could also see new crops introduced to the UK in order to maintain the box's Britishness and seasonality. For example, Sainsbury's has already seen the introduction of the Batavia lettuce as a seasonal alternative to the Iceberg and is currently trialing how the UK could grow 'exotic' vegetables such as aubergines and chillies.

Packed and sent from a central Cambridgeshire distribution supplier and in order to achieve ultimate freshness this box scheme will see UK suppliers working together for the first time to bring the offer to Sainsbury's customers.

The produce origins will feature in the box including the farm name and region in which the produce was grown along with environmental information and try tips.

The packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable with any internal packaging assured GM free 100% compostable and biodegradable - this means it can be disposed of on the home compost heap along with any unwanted storks and stems from the produce.

In the future, the scheme could see extend to include fresh meat and poultry.

For further information, to speak to the buyer or for samples and images please call Claire Webb on 020 7695 6604.

Notes to Editor

Sainsbury's SO organic produce box contents (summer) example;

Lettuce - Cos, Bratavia or Little Gem

Tomatoes - vine or loose

Beetroot - raw, bunched or fresh cooked: longlife vacuum packed or dipped in vinegar

Cucumber

Fennel

Mixed salad leaves

Radish

Spinach

According to AC Neilson data for 52 weeks to 3rd July 2006, Sainsbury's share of the organic market stands at 30.8%.

This move supports the 3,500 locally sourced products Sainsbury's already sells. We are particularly proud of a project which sees tomatoes grown 52 weeks of the year on a farm that re-uses waste CO2 so that customers can buy British tomatoes all year round for the first time.

Sainsbury's set itself a target of sourcing 70% of organic food that can be grown in the UK, to come from the UK. We are on our way to this figure but have not hit target as the rate of growth of the organics market makes this a challenge. In order to help address this shortage we have launched several industry leading schemes which encourage farmers to go or stay organic e.g. Farm Promise, Organic Beef Farmer contracts.

When Sainsbury's SO organic relaunched in September 2005, 30% of the range was moved to fully compostable packaging including:

Home compostable sugar cane trays.

Compostable PLA punnets, (we are the only retailer to pursue a non GM policy for PLA, others are using GM crop based materials, are punnets are no longer in use as the supplier went into receivership, working with them to get up and running again)

Home compostable flow wrap films

Home compostable labels

Home compostable netting

All made from non petroleum, sustainable, renewable resources

Sainsbury's are the only retailer to successfully work with the Environment Agency on recognition of compostable packaging as material that can be handled as green waste by local authorities.

We have since carried out extensive trial work and consumer research with the aim of increasing the quantity of compostable packaging across our organics range and beyond. In September we are aiming to introduce the UK first compostable packaging for organic whole bird and sausages. Also will be rolling out home compostable bags for organic produce, starting in September this will move us to 87% organic produce packaging either compostable or recyclable.

Where Compostable packaging is not feasible we are aiming to use readily recyclable packaging mainly through the use of PET trays and films, which most local authorities will collect.

In March 2006 Sainsbury's SO organic design won The Design Week 'Own Brand Packaging Design award 2006.'