A government watchdog has branded Asda the least green of the UK’s leading supermarkets.
According to the Green to the Core? report from Consumer Focus, Asda only sources 59% of fresh produce from the UK – a drop of 7% from 2007 – and has cut back its range of organic produce by 38%.
As a result Consumer Focus downgraded Asda’s sustainability rating from C to D, the same rating as discount retailers Aldi and Lidl.
“Shopping green should not be hard. Our survey shows that when a grocer has the will to respond to consumer pressure on green issues, this works through to the shop floor,” said report author Lucy Yates.
Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s became the first supermarkets to achieve an A grade, while Tesco retained the C rating it was first awarded two years ago.
Waitrose was handed a B rating, while The Co-operative and Morrisons were each given a C grade.
Asda hit back, describing the report as “inaccurate and misleading” and pointing out it had cut carbon emissions to its stores by 20% since 2005 and had also reduced packaging.
