Hershey’s just announced that they are making the big switch when it comes to one of their main ingredients—sugar—with the help of a new sustainable sugar sourcing policy that is meant to ensure that the sugar we all consume from their products are responsibly grown and harvested.
They are starting to roll this out and their target is to use nothing but sustainable sugar by the year 2020. In the United States, they will have their manufacturers conduct their own audits with suppliers to make sure it is at par with the Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit standards, and as a company, Hershey’s will also have a yearly review of their sugar suppliers’ sustainability program to assess their environmental impact.
For international sugar (hey, Asian countries!), “We will work with our suppliers to incorporate third party evaluations within their supply chains against Hershey’s Supplier Code of Conduct and industry best practices on sustainability initiatives.” Along with it, they will implement their Learn to Grow program to train sugar farmers on productivity and community development enhancements.
That’s a lot to take in on a Friday morning, but in essence, Hershey’s is making a pledge to help you have a responsible sweet tooth. And that to me is a great TGIF news bit!
[Eater]
Photo courtesy of Pop Sugar