Speciality-Food-Magazine-March-2025

@specialityfood 46 S ustainability runs through the very core of Barfoots – which is renowned for preparing and delivering excellent quality sweetcorn and speciality vegetables, grown with care. The business is always thinking one step ahead when it comes to its impact on the environment and natural world, and this sensitive approach has been recognised at the highest level, with founder Peter Barfoot awarded a CBE for his services to sustainable farming. His mantra, right from the start, has always been ‘look after the land like you are going to farm forever’. This is something that rings true through every part of Barfoots, which is proud to be a LEAF ‘Beacon of Excellence’, and part of WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment to reduce waste, cut carbon emissions and protect water. There are myriad ways in which the business mitigates its environmental impact. Firstly, across the business farming is delivered in a nature-positive way that encourages biodiversity and better soil health. There’s a strong commitment to using water sustainably and effectively. Water treatment facilities convert all waste factory water into irrigation water for crops, and in 2024, reverse osmosis was added to this process, converting waste water into potable water. On the energy front, an AD plant converts waste (such as sweetcorn husks) into electricity to power the entire factory and operations site, with surplus sold to the National Grid. Digestate from the process (rich in micronutrients), is turned back into the soil as a natural, homegrown fertiliser. Additionally, last year Barfoots installedmore than 5,000 solar panels at two sites, saving 399 tonnes of CO2 annually – the equivalent to planting 20,563 trees. Another crucial part of the business is its model to reduce food waste, which remains a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK alone £3.5 billion worth of food is thrown away by households, and a further £3 billion by hospitality and foodservice. The unique Freshlock system helps tackle this problem, without compromising on taste. In fact, consumers surveyed agreed they preferred Barfoots sweetcorn to standard vac packed varieties, saying the flavour, texture and appearance were all superior. BARFOOTS “Look after the land like you’re going to farm forever” GLEBE FARM FOODS “We continuously evolve our sustainable working practices” I n today’s world, people are feeling overwhelmed. With busy schedules, political and social uncertainty, reduced attention spans, and the growing issue of global warming, many consumers are left seeking ways to slow down, switch off, and try to regain a sense of control over their lives. One of FMCG Gurus’ top trends of 2025 is “Do Good, Feel Good”, encompassing the push from consumers to promote positivity and effective social-change in their actions and purchasing habits in order to boost their mood and regain a sense of control. Consequently, many consumers are taking a proactive approach to boosting their mood by making sustainable choices in their purchases and actively taking environmentally-friendly actions. DIETARY CHANGES Almost three quarters of consumers are concerned about the environment, and almost half fear that the damage may be irreversible, making sustainability a significant driver of stress in many consumers. This has led to 59% of consumers saying they have made changes to their diet in order to live a more environmentally- friendly lifestyle. Consumers approached this change by eating less processed food and instead prioritizing fresh food and drink, as well as making a conscious effort to reduce food waste (one of the biggest contributors to CO2 emissions). Championing local causes has also provided a way for consumers to practice sustainable purchasing habits, while adding the extra mood-boost of supporting their local community. By choosing VICKY PAINTER CONTENT ANALYST AT FMCG GURUS Sustainability with a purpose – how consumers are shaping their own futures locally-produced goods, consumers can enjoy fresher (and often more nutritious) produce, as well as contributing to the economic well- being of their local communities. Furthermore, choosing local food and drink products limits the excess carbon emission of shipping goods from abroad, allowing consumers to both reduce their carbon footprint and push back against hyper-globalisation. CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM Another way consumers are promoting sustainable practices is by demonstrating responsibility in their purchasing habits in order to adopt notions of feeling good by doing good. 38% of consumers say that they have chosen one product over another due to it being more environmentally friendly, highlighting just how important sustainability claims are. Similarly, 23% of consumers say that they have consciously engaged in environmentally friendly initiatives. One of the most popular sustainable initiatives for younger consumers is “underconsumption core”. Starting on tiktok, this trend encourages the upcycling of items, avoidance of fast fashion, and using every bit of personal care products. “Underconsumption core” highlights this back-to-basics approach consumers are taking in relation to reducing environmental impact and promoting ethical and sustainable living. By limiting waste, this trend can also help to reduce price sensitivity in consumers who may otherwise be put-off paying a premium for sustainable products in an era of uncertainty. This article is based on FMCG Gurus: Trend 2 - Do Good, Feel Good - Trend Report 2025. Glebe Farm Foods is blazing a trail when it comes to sustainable working practices, evolving its processes and operations on an ongoing basis to mitigate the business’s environmental impact wherever possible. This year, that has included installing an additional 453kW of roof-mounted solar panels, following on from the opening, in 2023, of a state-of-the-art Tetra packing plant located only 150m from the field in Cambridgeshire. This initiative enabled Glebe Farm Foods to bring all packing into one place, reducing food miles dramatically, taking hundreds of thousands of miles of HGV transport out of the system. The processor has also built three innovative biomass boilers for its oat mill, using oat husk residues to generate steam, meaning it does not need to use fossil fuel heat – the heaviest power demand on site – for the flaking of oats. The process is now entirely circular. In terms of responsible and regenerative farming, Glebe Farm Foods has a tried and tested strategy. Its founders believe in introducing processes that are economically viable and work well, which in turn leads to farming partners – all of which are within a 70 mile radius – adopting these organically. For example, several of Glebe’s partner farms grow beans or peas within oats, which has shown to have potential to give sustainable yields using significantly less nitrogen fertiliser. Glebe is planning to grow by 25% annually over the next few years and has the ambition to double in size again, thanks to broadening its product range, meeting the growing demands from foodservice and retail customer demands for products with a lower carbon footprint.At present, its oat milk has the lowest carbon footprint on the market.