Engaging for the future of sustainable agriculture with Findus

For the second consecutive year, SAI Platform is working in collaboration with Findus Italia (Nomad Foods) on ‘A Scuola di Futuro’ – a project to engage younger generations in sustainable agriculture. Throughout Italy the project involves over 1,700 primary schools with more than 125,000 children from the ages of 8- to 11-years-old learning about sustainable agriculture.

The ‘A Scoula di Futuro’ project started in 2017 also working in collaboration with other important global organisations related to sustainability namely the Marine Stewardship Council, and World Food Programme Italia.

We spoke with Renato Roca, Nomad Foods Marketing Director, Southern Europe, to learn more about this project and about Findus’ activities related to sustainability.

Why have you decided to work with SAI Platform on this project?

We have decided to work with SAI Platform on this project because our approach to sustainability is not only about pursuing specific objectives and targets but is also about benchmarking against other best practices in the market. Working with SAI Platform allows us to make the best use of a different set of shared experiences, learning points and improvements.

How does being a member of SAI Platform benefit Findus?
We think that being a member of SAI Platform is about building a win-win cooperation. Sitting at a virtual table where we can learn how to improve as well as give our contribution to have better and more sustainable agricultural practices. Continuous improvement is core for us and being a member of SAI Platform is about having further stimuli to progress on our sustainability path.

Why is sustainability important to Findus?
Sustainability is for us an expression of our approach to leadership which is about responsibility. Leader companies and brands can really do their part only if they are able to responsibly work together to create a better future for the world through a better use of resources, a better way of operating and a better workplace for direct and indirect employees. Finally, sustainability is important for Findus because it’s also part of a new, more holistic and evolving concept of quality.

What are Findus’ sustainability objectives for the future?
We are aiming at very concrete objectives in the areas of better sourcing, better operations and better nutrition.  We are aiming to reach 100% of our fish certified through MSC or ASC by 2025, 100% of our vegetables being sustainable according to FSA verification by 2025 and 100% of our packaging being recyclable by 2022. We are also aiming at constantly improving our operations and market products that can contribute to a more balanced nutritional profile.

Findus are an Italian subsidiary of our member Nomad Foods with very ambitious sustainability objectives for 2025, including the use of our Farm Sustainability Assessment for 100% of their vegetables.