Leidschendam, 11 June 2009 - It is the wish of Dutch supermarkets that only sustainable soy is used in the feed for cattle, chickens and pigs for the production of meat, dairy products and eggs for own-brand products. This was announced today via the 'Actieplan Duurzame Soja' [Action Plan on Sustainable Soy] issued by the Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel (Dutch Food Retail Association - CBL), the umbrella organization of all supermarkets in the Netherlands.

In the production of meat, eggs and dairy products, the pigs, chickens and cattle are fed on soy products. The production of soy, and in South America in particular, can be accompanied by social, ecological and economic problems. Dutch supermarkets have an indirect role in the soy animal feed chain, but believe nonetheless that it is time to take action. This is why the CBL is today launching the Action Plan on Sustainable Soy.

A number of specific action points have been designated in the CBL Action Plan on Sustainable Soy. For example, it is essential that local stakeholders (small farmers and workers) be better represented in the international Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS). Internationally operating NGOs can assist in this. Critical examination must also be made of the use of pesticides in soy cultivation, and a halt must be called to the clearance of areas of the Amazon rainforest to make way for soy cultivation.

“The supermarkets want to help in addressing the problems that go hand-in-hand with the cultivation of soy, and it is our wish that the entire production of soy is made sustainable. Only then can a significant contribution be made. Because the Dutch supermarkets’ action plan demands RTRS soy from their suppliers, the consumer will soon be able to eat meat, eggs and dairy products with a clear conscience,” according to Marc Jansen, the CBL’s Director of Consumer Affairs and Quality.

The production of and trade in soy is an immense global industry in which hundreds of millions of tons are traded on a worldwide basis. A small part of the by-products of the soy processing industry ends up indirectly on the consumer’s plate via animal feed, farms, slaughterhouses and supermarkets. The CBL is looking for the answer to the issue of the sustainability of soy-based animal feed by associating itself with the Round Table.

The RTRS recently reached consensus about the criteria that the responsible production of sustainable soy must satisfy. Large-scale field trials must now be embarked upon that will include the certification of soy cultivation. The CBL wants soy from these projects to be shipped to the Netherlands as a matter of priority so that meat, dairy products and eggs bearing the supermarkets ‘own-brand’ labels can be produced as quickly as possible on the basis of sustainable soy.

Sustainable soy production is a new item on the CBL sustainability agenda. Each year, a number of new issues are added to this agenda, and projects are set up to increase the sustainability of the food chain in conjunction with the partners in the soy chain, governmental and societal organizations. Organic products, working conditions in the Third World, the anaesthetized castration of piglets, sustainable fishing, pasture grazing for cows, free-range eggs, the humane transport of animals, the reduction of truck emissions and noise, and low-energy cooling units are important features of the CBL sustainability agenda.

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Any questions can be directed to Miranda Boer, Head of PR and Information Services, CBL, (+31) (0)6 51502772.