Good proteins
The assortment in our store chains aims to encourage and contribute to sustainable protein consumption. We are doing this by offering an expanded assortment of exciting vegetarian meals, fish from sustainable stocks, and eggs from free-range hens.
The production of animal proteins has a significant impact on both the climate and the environment. Therefore, it is important to offer sustainable proteins, such as more plant-based alternatives.
Green proteins in our assortment
To achieve a shift towards more plant-based proteins, we continuously develop new products that are tasty, affordable, and sustainably produced.
Our private label vegetarian range includes deli slices and schnitzel from Eldorado, as well as pea falafel, dinner sausages, burgers, and kebabs from Garant. Together with Cashewmeetly, we sell a vegan product made from cashew apples, a byproduct that would otherwise become food waste.
We also combine plant-based proteins with animal protein in various products. For example, Garant has launched a sustainable fishcake with Braxen and field beans in collaboration with Axfoundation.
Animal welfare in focus
Animals in food production should be treated well and covered by extensive animal protection. Therefore, Axfood’s store chains and the restaurant wholesaler Snabbgross only sell eggs from free-range hens.
Good animal welfare results in healthy animals, leads to low antibiotic use, and safe food. Therefore, the meat we sell must be responsibly produced and undergo rigorous controls.
In our follow-up, we base our actions on Axfood’s quality and sustainability strategy to ensure that suppliers of our own branded products follow our guidelines for good animal care and the use of antibiotics in meat, dairy, and aquaculture. The requirements we set for animal welfare are also based on Swedish animal protection legislation.
Follow-up on how producers live up to the quality and sustainability strategy is carried out through checks on how the animals are raised and how they are handled at slaughter. Axfood’s own quality specialists or independent accredited companies conduct the audits.
To ensure that consumers know where the meat comes from, Axfood sets basic requirements for clear labeling of the country of origin and traceability already in the procurement process.
Reduced antibiotic use
With the exception of KRAV-labeled meat, Swedish beef lacks animal welfare certification, and Axfood is therefore pushing producers to introduce IP Basic Certification for Beef.
Within the industry organization Svensk Dagligvaruhandel (The Swedish Food Retailers Federation), Axfood also collaborates with other actors to reduce antibiotic use in animal breeding. The aim is improved animal welfare and reduced risk of antibiotic resistance.
Axfood’s seafood policy and goals
Axfood advocates for sustainable fishing that prevents emissions, destroyed ecosystems, and acidified fishing waters. According to Axfood’s seafood guidelines, which are based on WWF’s listing, fish and shellfish from threatened stocks should not be sold in the group’s stores.
We ensure this through close collaboration with suppliers. The fish must be traceable to the stock, fishing zone/farm, and fishing method.
The fish policy also means that Axfood’s assortment must not include fish that have a red light in WWF’s fish guide and are not classified as sufficiently sustainable based on the definition of sustainable stocks and good fishing methods.
Axfood also aims for all fish and shellfish sold to be classified as green by 2025. This is stated in our sustainability program. This requires an increasing portion of the range to be shifted to ASC, MSC, or KRAV-certified fish while offering customers a wide range of affordable fish and shellfish.
