Midcounties Co-op says Happerley certification on food ingredients is to become mandatory for all food suppliers across its Best of our Counties range.
This will make the ingredient supply chains of over 200 ranges of food and drink fully transparent to the consumer, via a QR code, app and certification marque. The certification will roll out over the following months across 230 food stores.
Enabling the consumer to connect to and validate the journey of their food in this way is a UK first, says Midcounties.
It says the Best of our Counties range showcases the best food and drink from local suppliers in the county and neighbouring counties.
Happerley advisory board member Adam Henson said: “Consumers should know where their food is from. Happerley enables the consumers to see in an instant exactly where the ingredients have come from and make choices based on fact and insight, not fiction.
“We all hope this will become a national game changer.”
Midcounties’ chief executive officer (trading) Phil Ponsonby added: “We believe consumers increasingly want to know where the ingredients in their food and drink are from and I am delighted we are working with Happerley as their first multiple retailer to adopt this scheme.”
Gloucestershire farmer and Happerley founder, Matthew Rymer, said: “We want every consumer in the UK to be able to validate and connect to the journey of their food. For the sake of the farmer and the consumer and every honest food business in between, provenance currency needs to be based on truth not fiction. The support of Midcounties is a major step forward.”
The society is also supporting a national Happerley schools campaign championed by TV presenter Adam Henson. This will work with school catering suppliers and schools to turn their ingredient supply chains transparent so children will know where their food is from.
Midcounties will be supporting a pilot across the Midlands, designed for years 7 and 8 in secondary schools (age 11-13).
