Nestle has confirmed it plans to increase the amount of commodities it sources directly in support of rural development.
In an interview with Austrian newspaper Kurier, Nestle chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe said the group intends to “double” the ratio of commodities it sources directly in the coming years.
A spokesperson for the company told just-food the firm’s “key commitments” on “rural development and responsible sourcing” include plans to ramp up the amount of cocoa and coffee sourced from farmers. Nestle intends to increase the amount of cocoa sourced under its Nestle Cocoa Plan to 80,000 tonnes this year, up from 63,000 tonnes in 2013.
Nestle is also increasing the number of responsible sourcing audits it conducts, the spokesperson added. In 2013, the group completed 2,500 audits and plans to have completed 10,000 by 2015.
