Wal-Mart announced that it would require manufacturers supplying goods for its stores to adhere to stricter ethical and environmental standards, the latest effort by the world's biggest retailer to answer criticism of its business practices.

Carrefour, the world's second-largest retail operator, plans to buy shrimp directly from farmers to supply the chain's outlets in Thailand and abroad. The Thai fisheries department also aims to see all 27,000 of Thailand's shrimp farms meet Good Agricultural Practice standards or better for marine shrimp farming this year, from about 21,000 at present.

THE Co-Operative is one of the leading retailers of Fairtrade products. Brad Hill, strategic development manager, explained why Fairtrade produce is so important despite the issues surrounding food miles.

He says: "While we are very concerned about food miles and transportation issues we also feel that buying produce from abroad, especially Africa, is important because farmers depend on that produce.

The GlobalGap Board has recently approved a proposal that the standard shall be revised every 4 years, instead of every 3 years - a decision welcomed by all stakeholders to allow sufficient time for adjustment and implementation between new versions.

According to a comprehensive study by Carnegie Mellon University engineers, the type of food eaten by U.S. consumers is more important than the distance it travels in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, global warming.

The UK Competition Commission's final report reeased on 30th April says that suppliers directly in contact with the supermarkets are transferring excessive risks and unexpected costs further up the supply chain.

Asda chief executive Andy Bond will today pledge to source an additional £30m worth of fresh produce from African farmers over the next five years.

Planet Retail 6 May 2008

According to reports in the British press, Asda has dropped its opposition to overseas suppliers being included in a new code of conduct designed to protect against unfair terms imposed by UK grocery chains.

The UK's biggest supermarket first announced its intention to put carbon counts on up to 70,000 products some 15 months ago. They will start to roll this out across Tesco own brand products very shortly.

The aviation and produce industries have slammed the Soil Association's proposals to reduce the volume of organic fresh produce airfreighted to the UK, accusing the certification body of focusing on a purely "ideological" debate, rather than looking at the facts.