The company said building a comprehensive program dedicated to animal welfare and the sustainability of the dairy supply chain is one of its challenging objectives.
It said many sustainability issues need to be addressed, such as ensuring high standards of animal welfare, reducing carbon emissions and managing the impacts of dairy farming on water and biodiversity.
Because of this, Ferrero partners with FAI Farms, a consultancy and research organization dedicated to driving progress towards food sustainability.
Øistein Thorsen, CEO at FAI Farms,said, “We are proud to work with Ferrero - a company which is serious about driving positive change in its supply chain using a sustainability strategy which is action orientated and informed and shaped by the latest science and evidence.”
Every year, FAI Farms provides Ferrero with the latest scientific research: a review of the scientific papers recently published in the area of dairy sustainability and a report divided into the areas of ethics, environment and economics.
Stefano Severi, Ferrero responsible sourcing team, said, “We really value FAI’s ability to translate the latest scientific research and best practice into tailored and practical strategies which can work for our business. Their insights are helping us improve our dairy sustainability strategy and focus in the right areas.”
Ferrero said it has further developed the Ferrero Farming Values Program for milk by initiating its “Vision Dairy” program. In the current pilot phase, the project has been developed to drive sustainability and continuous improvement in three main areas: cow welfare, farm performance and environmental stewardship.
The company said it is starting to work with a group of milk suppliers on the ground to assess current sustainability performance and needs, and that building on the data from this pilot phase and the latest insights provided by FAI Farms, it will finalize its dairy sustainability roadmap.