Blog

20th June 2008

Food transport in the UK is changing! In an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of transporting food and other goods, 37 leading UK food, retail and consumer goods companies will work together and pool their transportation resources for food and other goods. This initiative will greatly reduce fuel use and costs incurred during Food transportation.

Under the Sustainable Distribution scheme, IGD sponsoring the Efficient Consumer Response program, companies will be establishing more efficient warehousing and sharing distribution networks.

The industry believes that through such initiatives it will save 48m miles of travel for food transport and other grocery transport by the end of 2008 alone, reducing fuel consumption by 23m litres of diesel each year.

Food companies including Kraft, Mars, Unilever, Nestle and Kellogs have signed up whilst all of the UK's largest retailers have committed to the project.
 
IGD president and Nestlé UK CEO Alastair Sykes said "In a highly competitive industry, getting 37 companies working together in this way is very innovative and the results so far are very impressive with over 16m miles saved in the pilot scheme alone2. Sykes said the move would help the food industry meet government and consumer expectations by reducing it's environmental impact and by lowering food transport costs. 
 
Sykes stated, "There will always be a need to transport food and grocery items from producers to shoppers, and the more efficiently we can do this, the better for everyone."