Food is integral to life. It’s not just something we need, it’s something we love. It’s part of who we are —our favourite meals, our family identity, our culture. It sustains us, but what sustains it?
Healthy nature is vital for food production in Australia. From clean air and water to a liveable climate, our food system and nature are intrinsically linked. But Australia’s food system is failing nature.
Agriculture for food is one of the largest drivers of nature destruction in Australia, contributing to the collapse of 19 ecosystems and our position as a global deforestation hotspot. It accounts for approximately three quarters of freshwater withdrawals and contributes up to 17% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions annually.
Put simply, the modern food system is a key contributor to the climate and nature crises. But it’s also a critical part of the solution. With a rapidly changing climate and growing global population to feed, it has never been more important to address the health of nature and the food system’s impact and reliance on it.
Key findings
The Future of Food Benchmark was born out of the urgency to address this impending and complex intersection of crises that affects us all. In an Australian first, the Australian Conservation Foundation assessed how 20 of Australia’s largest and most influential food companies are managing their impacts on nature and supporting the changes needed to halt and reverse nature destruction.
Company scores are out of 100, with higher scores being better than lower scores.
Check out the scores of six big food companies, including our supermarkets, below. To see the scores for all 20 companies, download the full report.
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Coles
Brands: Coles Own Brand Products and Fresh Produce, CUB, Graze, Wellness Road
What they’re doing well: Coles has demonstrated partnership with agricultural suppliers on target setting and delivery, and on helping some suppliers build sustainable capabilities.
What they’re lagging on: Coles has not set a deforestation target, despite being one of Australia’s largest beef buyers. It also hasn’t evidenced assessment of nature risk in its agricultural value chain.
- Risk assessment & disclosure4%
- Nature targets9%
- Strategy & action9%
- Governance3%
- Transparency3%
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Woolworths
Brands: Woolworths Own Brand Products and Fresh Produce, Highgate, Thomas Dux, Plantitude
What they’re doing well: Woolworths has demonstrated partnership with agricultural suppliers on target setting and delivery, and on helping some suppliers build sustainable capabilities.
What they’re lagging on: Woolworths has not evidenced any action towards tracing its agricultural value chain or assessing nature risks.
- Risk assessment & disclosure0%
- Nature targets9%
- Strategy & action6%
- Governance8%
- Transparency3%
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Bega
Brands: Vegemite, Dairy Farmers, Pura, Farmers Union, Yoplait, Dare, Daily Juice Co, Berri
What they’re doing well: Bega has evidenced a small amount of traceability to farm level. It has also demonstrated partnership with some agricultural suppliers by helping them build sustainable capabilities.
What they’re lagging on: Bega has not set deforestation or water use targets for its value chain. It also has not evidenced nature accountability or expertise at board level.
- Risk assessment & disclosure1%
- Nature targets8%
- Strategy & action6%
- Governance2%
- Transparency2%
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Arnott's Group
Brands: Arnott’s, Campbell’s, 180 Degrees, Prego, V8, Messy Monkeys
What they’re doing well: Arnott’s has demonstrated partnership with some of its agricultural suppliers by helping them build sustainable capabilities.
What they’re lagging on: Arnott’s has not set any nature targets outside of emissions. It also has not evidenced nature accountability or expertise at board level.
- Risk assessment & disclosure1%
- Nature targets5%
- Strategy & action6%
- Governance3%
- Transparency1%
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Aldi
Brands: Aldi Own Brand Products and Fresh Produce
What they’re doing well: Aldi is the only supermarket which has set a best-practice deforestation and conversion target.
What they’re lagging on: Aldi has not evidenced any action towards tracing its agricultural value chain or assessing nature risks. It also hasn’t evidenced any board or executive level accountability for nature.
- Risk assessment & disclosure0%
- Nature targets9%
- Strategy & action3%
- Governance0%
- Transparency0%
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Sanitarium
Brands: Weetbix, So Good, Up&Go, Vegie Delights, PB Nutrition
What they’re doing well: Sanitarium has not evidenced any action on nature across any indicator.
What they’re lagging on: It’s possible that Sanitarium has nature work happening behind the scenes, but without public reporting or engagement with NGOs like ACF, consumers have no way of knowing if, or how, the company is addressing nature issues.
- Risk assessment & disclosure0%
- Nature targets0%
- Strategy & action0%
- Governance0%
- Transparency0%
The 20 parent companies we assessed are: Aldi, Arnott's Group, Asahi, Bega, Coles, Costco, Domino's, Fonterra, George Weston Foods Limited, Hungry Jack's, Kraft Heinz, Lion, McDonald's, Nestle, Patties Foods, Sanitarium, Saputo Dairy Australia, Simplot, Unilever, and Woolworths.