Growing Sustainability from the Ground Up in Eastern Poland
8th December 2025
SVZ’s Silent Transformation in European Agriculture.
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SVZ Ingredients, a Netherlands-based supplier of fruit and vegetable ingredients, is helping farmers across Europe adopt more sustainable practices. Though it typically sources just 5% of a farmer’s harvest which are primarily “imperfect” fruit and vegetables that do not meet fresh market standards, SVZ nevertheless, plays an active role in improving how food is grown.
At the heart of this effort is SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA). SVZ has been using the FSA since the early 2000s to guide its sourcing strategy and support farmers to adopt better environmental, social, and economic practices. The FSA provides a clear framework for setting goals, tracking progress, and building long-term resilience on the farm.
Eastern Poland is a key region for SVZ’s sourcing strategy, supplying a diverse array of crops from raspberries and blackcurrants to kale and beetroot. Here, the FSA has helped drive measurable change:
- In 2024, 77% of SVZ’s core raw materials met FSA Silver-level or higher verification.
- Between 2022 and 2025, over 1,800 Polish growers achieved FSA Silver status.
- Biodiversity initiatives included distributing flower meadow seeds and installing insect habitats to support pollination and natural pest control.
The FSA also helps SVZ monitor and report progress through the Sustainable Juice Covenant (SJC), ensuring transparency and accountability across the supply chain. Beyond the farm, SVZ invests in energy and water efficiency and promotes climate-smart agriculture that protect both the planet and livelihoods.
Looking ahead, SVZ plans to expand FSA implementation to all sourcing regions and reach 100% sustainable sourcing by 2030, engaging up to 4,000 farmers. The company continues to call for broader collaboration with both farmers and other SAI Platform members, especially fresh market players, to decrease agricultural carbon emissions, and increase water efficiency and biodiversity at the farm-level.