First Benchmark Equivalence achieved for FSA 3.0

Overview

SAI Platform is pleased to announce
the first Benchmark Equivalence
for the latest version of the Farm
Sustainability Assessment, FSA 3.0

SAI Platform is delighted to confirm that the first benchmark has been completed against the latest version of the FSA – version 3.0. SAI Platform member, Kraft Heinz Company, has achieved a Silver Level Equivalence for its ‘In Our Roots Sustainable Agriculture Program.’

Kraft Heinz Company, a member of SAI Platform since 2020, has set ambitious sustainability goals. This includes a commitment to sustainably source 100 percent of their tomatoes by 2025.

The FSA benchmark will aid Kraft Heinz Company and their suppliers in achieving this ambitious goal by validating the positive steps they are currently taking towards best practice. It will give farmers the freedom to choose a sustainability system which reflects their circumstances, without losing any integrity or impact. It will also help farmers to streamline their approach when complying with multiple sustainability schemes.

Jonah Smith, Global Head of ESG for Kraft Heinz Company explained: “At Kraft Heinz, we not only believe in striving to be better every day within our operations but are committed to responsible, sustainable practices in the sourcing of our ingredients.

“Over the years, we have taken significant steps to strengthen our agricultural supply chain by developing the ‘In Our Roots Sustainable Agriculture Program.’ We are incredibly proud to be the first company programme to meet all of FSA 3.0’s standards. We are also excited to bring our newly verified programme out to our growers and suppliers to further improve sustainability practices at the farm.”

Kraft Heinz Company’s ‘In Our Roots Sustainable Agriculture Program’ is the first scheme to be benchmarked using FSA 3.0. It joins over 100 sustainability schemes that have been benchmarked against the FSA. The FSA’s benchmarking programme provides a common reference point for farm sustainability schemes, as well as a consistent approach to determine alignment. Benchmarks are carried out by FSA approved auditors, who assign the scheme an FSA performance level based on a rigorous analysis process.

Having achieved FSA Silver Level Equivalence any crops grown by farmers using the Kraft Heinz Company’s scheme can now be recognised at FSA silver level and count towards any other FSA users’ sustainable sourcing targets, and vice versa. Additionally, by-products derived from a supply chain that were successfully verified by the ‘In Our Roots Sustainable Agriculture Program’ can be sold as FSA equivalent.

Joe Rushton, FSA Programme Lead at SAI Platform said: “FSA 3.0 marks a step-up in the benchmarking programme’s integrity, yet it is even more straightforward and easier to get started. It is great to see Kraft Heinz Company getting the most out of thier membership with SAI Platform by using the FSA to refine, communicate and scale their programme. We congratulate them on this achievement!”

To learn more about how the Kraft Heinz Company is making sustainable practices part of their supply chain, visit their website.

To learn more about benchmarking, and to access scoring for benchmarked schemes, see the FSA Benchmark Overview in our Resource Centre.