Sustainability woes: Ingredients firms aren’t doing enough, claims expert

Speaking to BakeryandSnacks.com at Vitafoods Europe 2014, Johanna Tanhuanpää said sustainability remained an “untapped opportunity”.​

“A lot of companies are doing it, but they’re not really using it in their marketing or communications. There’s a lot to be done in making some value out of the sustainability work that the companies do in their marketing,”​ she said.

Uniquely placed in supply chain​

She said ingredients companies were uniquely placed in the supply chain because they were often close to the start. “They’re the ones that can really make or break the transparency, trust and traceability and the origin of the ingredients,”​ she said.

Asked about who should take the blame for problems in sustainable supply source, she said this was often a complex topic.

“It’s easy to shift along the responsibility to the next operator or going back into the chain before you, but I think it’s something that companies could really be working on – really being transparent about what happens in the chain, who processes the ingredients and where they come from.”​

Certification was a good starting point for ingredients suppliers looking to up their sustainability efforts, she said.