Nestlé’s cereals division has unveiled its “wheat plan” – a scheme designed to boost regenerative farming practices for Shredded Wheat.
The division will support wheat farmers in developing regenerative farming methods such as cover cropping and the planting of hedgerows to increase biodiversity. Nestlé has added information about the wheat plan to packs of its Shredded Wheat cereal across the UK, directing shoppers to its website to learn more.
“It’s not enough as a company to just expect our suppliers to supply to the right quality and quantity,” said Nestlé responsible sourcing manager Robin Sundaram. “We need to work with them to improve the long-term resiliency to climate change.
“Our agriculture team have done the research to look at what are the kinds of interventions that seem to have a positive impact on carbon, biodiversity or water, and come up with a list of about 43 different interventions.
“We have come to the UK, spoken to farmers and asked which are the ones which might be the most effective and how much [they] would like to be paid to implement [these practices].”
It is part of Nestlé’s new regenerative agriculture project, which will see 32 land managers and farmers in East Anglia receive just under £1m to improve the landscape and fight climate change.
Northamptonshire farmer Ian Matts, one of the farmers to join the programme, said he was “delighted” to be a part of the wheat plan. “We’ve been using regenerative farming methods for six years and have begun to see the positive effects it has made on the farm.”
Sundaram added: “It’s early days and it’s great we’ve got the likes of Ian getting on board. Hopefully [they] will be the early starters and other farmers will see the benefits and start to join in.”
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