Fish and veg are the main foods in our portfolio. But we also use a range of other ingredients, from the chicken in our nuggets to the oil and spices in our meals.
When it comes to sourcing any of our ingredients we always meet food safety and legal requirements and we consider traceability and animal welfare, as well as environmental and ethical concerns.
When developing our policies, we address issues that are important for both our consumers and us as a business.
Improving Animal Welfare
There is an increasing concern around the welfare, security, and sustainability of the meat supply into our industry, and food chain as a whole. We share this concern, which is why we go beyond legislation when it comes to sourcing our poultry, eggs, and beef.
We are able to trace the meat we source, right back to its origins. All animals used for meat production will be humanely stunned prior to slaughter. All animals should be provided with the necessary medical treatment to minimise suffering. Antibiotics should be used carefully, only when necessary, and never to promote growth.
Our chickens are all barn-reared (never in cages) and we use quality vegetable based feed . The use of fish in feed (such as fish oil and fish meal) is permitted as long as it’s from a sustainable source (as identified by the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries).
We have signed the European Chicken Commitment and will work with our suppliers to continue to improve the welfare of the chickens we use and meet the requirements of the commitment by 2026 across our entire portfolio.
When it comes to eggs, we have been working towards minimum barn-reared animals, since 2013, and have made good progress. For the majority of our portfolio, we already exceed expectations and aim to complete the transformation within the next couple of years.
We meet all national and EU regulatory standards for rearing and processing of our meat products.
Sustainably sourced palm oil
Palm oil is often linked to the deforestation of jungle habitat which impacts the lives of native species. We are not a significant user of palm oil, and for the vast majority of our recipes we use alternatives such as rapeseed oil or sunflower oil.
We source palm oil responsibly, using Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Segregated Certification. Over 90% of our palm oil is RSPO certified and we are working with our suppliers on the remaining volume. We don’t accept “book and claim” systems.
Working with our suppliers to protect human rights
Thousands of people are involved in growing and producing the ingredients we use in our products. We strive to make sure that everyone in our supply chain is fairly treated, which is why we continue to work to implement ethical policies and procedures, and to make sure that our co-workers are appropriately trained.
For example, we apply International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles, requiring our suppliers to meet them, as well as national labour regulations.
Suppliers must comply with the Nomad Foods Supplier Code of Conduct, which is part of our trading terms and conditions.
We require our suppliers to register with the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) and to complete a self-audit questionnaire. SEDEX is a not-for-profit membership organisation that drives responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. We also require suppliers to meet an independent ethical standard, verified by an external auditor.
We use profiling to identify supply chains that may require special scrutiny, which will allow us to take more proactive actions in the future, such as engaging in dialogue with suppliers around risks and how to mitigate them.
If a supplier fails to take steps to stop or prevent human rights violations, we work to improve the situation with the supplier if and when possible. In the case of major violations, we would seek to cease trading with the supplier.