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The Co-op will stop selling carrots from Israel and vodka from Russia as the UK food retailer cuts ties with suppliers in countries with “internationally recognised” human rights abuses and violations of international law.
The member-owned group, which operates more than 2,300 convenience stores in Britain, said on Tuesday that it will remove an array of products from shelves starting this month, after its members demanded that the Co-op do all it can to “advocate and build peace.”
The move comes after a raft of major corporations — ranging from Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, to Walt Disney and McDonald’s — have watered down or scrapped their diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The pullback has apparently been catalysed by US President Donald Trump’s war on “illegal and immoral” diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
However, there have been a few outliers such as Microsoft, Apple and Costco, which have defended and upheld their commitments. Last month, ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, known for its activism, called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide.
The Co-op, which also has funeral care and insurance businesses, said that after a detailed analysis it had identified 17 “countries of concern”. It said that “wherever possible” it will no longer source ingredients for either Co-op branded products or finished products from those countries.
Those products include Russian vodka, mangoes from Mali and carrots from Israel. Other countries targeted include Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Syria.
However, any disruption to the Co-op’s business is likely to be negligible. Like other UK food retailers it sources the majority of its products from suppliers in the UK or western Europe.
Co-op chair Debbie White said the changes were “a clear demonstration of our co-operative values in action, where the voices of our members have been listened to and then acted upon”.
She added the decision was driven by a misalignment between “what happens in those countries and our co-operative values and principles” based on internationally recognised issues.
The Co-op said it has contacted affected suppliers and it will stop working with them in line with the UK’s Groceries Supply Code of Practice.
