Birds Eye Pea Harvest Verified as First SAI Platform Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Gold Level Supply Chain in the UK

Birds Eye Pea Harvest Verified as First SAI Platform Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Gold Level Supply Chain in the UK
Parent company Nomad Foods awarded Gold for sustainable food production in its pea harvest farm management group

FELTHAM, England - Nomad Foods has achieved the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform), Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) Gold Level for its pea farm management group (FMG). It is the first UK farm management group and the first globally in frozen food, to be awarded the FSA Gold Level.

The achievement marks the end of this year’s Birds Eye pea harvest and solidifies Nomad Foods’ commitment to promoting sustainable food production across its supply chain.

Stéfan Descheemaeker, Chief Executive Officer at Nomad Foods, said: “This is a major milestone for our agriculture team in the UK and I’m immensely proud of all the hard work that has gone into ensuring we are the first frozen food farm management group to reach the Gold Level of sustainable sourcing. Sustainable and resilient agriculture is essential for our business and we are committed to sourcing 100% of our vegetables and potatoes through sustainable farming practices by the end of 2025. Our purpose as a company is to serve the world with better food and this is a great example of how we are doing that and making a difference to every mealtime.”

Sven Sielhorst, Systems Director at SAI Platform said: “To achieve Gold Level is testament to Nomad Foods commitment and dedication to performing at a high level. It’s so rare that a whole FMG is awarded this Level, anywhere in the world, so we must congratulate the team on their outstanding achievement.”

The FSA is a comprehensive assessment tool covering 17 fundamental components of sustainable agriculture. It enables farmers to assess on-farm sustainability performance, share that information with customers, and identify practical areas for improvement. In turn, this helps drive progress in the sector and ensure practices continuously evolve.

Assessments are independently audited and a bronze, silver or gold rating is given to help businesses source more sustainably and give credibility to in-house company standards that may not be widely recognised. The tool is currently used in 35 countries and translated into 20 languages.

 About Nomad Foods

Nomad Foods (NYSE: NOMD) is Europe’s leading frozen foods company. The company's portfolio of iconic brands, which includes Birds Eye, Findus, iglo, Aunt Bessie's and Goodfella's, have been a part of consumers' meals for generations, standing for great tasting food that is convenient, high quality and nutritious. Nomad Foods is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Additional information may be found at www.nomadfoods.com

About SAI Platform

The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform) is the global food and drink industry platform for developing sustainable agriculture solutions through member-driven pre-competitive collaboration. SAI Platform connects members and external stakeholders to catalyse change and establish sustainable agriculture as a pre-requisite for doing business throughout the food and drink supply chain. To find out more at www.saiplatform.org

Media Contacts

Oliver Thomas

Corporate Affairs Manager
oliver.thomas@nomadfoods.com
+44 7568 108744

Sam Fulton

Group Director of Corporate Affairs
sam.fulton@nomadfoods.com
+44 7936 924691

Notes to editors

1. Nomad Foods is Europe’s leading frozen food business and the world’s largest branded purchaser of eco-labelled fish. Its portfolio includes recognized brands such as Birds Eye, Findus, Iglo and Green Cuisine, its new range of plant protein meat alternatives. The company is continually building on its sustainable farming standards in line with global best practices. Its ambition is to be 100% FSA Silver or above, across all vegetable and potato supply chains globally, by the end of 2025.
2. Nomad Foods is currently part of The Sustainable Landscapes Humber Project – a collaboration with Yorkshire Water, Future Foods Solutions and Hull and Teeside University, announced earlier this year. More than 40 farmers who grow peas for Birds Eye are planting a diverse range of cover crops that will capture carbon, reduce flooding and improve soil health.
3. The Birds Eye pea harvest covers 10,000 hectares and takes place between June to mid-August every year.
4. On average, every person in the UK eats 9,000 peas per year.
5. Freshly picked garden peas and petits pois are frozen within just 2.5 hours of being picked, retaining vitamin C and other important nutrients and preserving the peas flavour and texture.