In February, 2020, Albertsons revised the company Supplier Sustainability Guidelines & Expectations for own brand products to include pollinator health policy language. The guidance identifies the following pesticides as targets for reduction: neonicotinoids, chlorpyrifos, and pesticides on the California Prop 65 list of chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, which includes glyphosate. The guidance encourages use of alternative approaches, including integrated pest management. The guidance also encourages suppliers to avoid regrettable substitution (the replacement of one hazardous pesticide with another) and includes a link to a list of possible regrettable substitutes. Albertsons’ 2018 annual report states a commitment to continue to increase organic offerings.

Albertsons’ guidance on pollinator health does not include any timebound or measurable commitments to phase out pesticides of concern or expand the adoption of least-toxic practices in company food or beverage supply chains.

Commitment to reduce pesticide use

7 out of 15 points

Avoiding regrettable substitutes

5 out of 5 points

Commitment to least-toxic approaches in non-organic supply chains

1 out of 10 points

Commitment to organic

5 out of 15 points

Albertsons’ 2018 sustainability report states that the company’s own brand O Organics hit the $1 billion mark with over 1,500 organic products being offered. The report states that organic and natural products saw 13.6% growth in fiscal year ’18 with 500 new products offered. (Reporting on organic and “natural” sales together significantly confounds the data. Organic is a robust, federally-regulated standard whereas “natural” is not a regulated label claim and has no clear definition. Friends of the Earth recommends that companies track and report organic and “natural” sales separately to provide more transparency around organic sales data.)

Albertsons has not taken any other discernible action to reduce use of pesticides of concern to pollinator and human health or expand organic farming and other least-toxic approaches in its supply chains. The actions we evaluated include: 1) tracking use of pesticides in company supply chains, 2) measurably reducing pesticide use in the past three years and publicly reporting on data, 3) supporting farmers in non-organic supply chains to shift to least-toxic approaches such as integrated pest management and regenerative agriculture, 4) measurably expanding organic offerings in the past three years, 5) demonstrating support for U.S. growers to transition to organic farming, and 6) demonstrating advocacy for public policies aimed at reducing agricultural pesticide use, protecting pollinators and supporting the expansion of organic agriculture in the U.S.

Track pesticide use in supply chain

0 out of 10 points

Measurably reduce pesticide use

0 out of 15 points

Prioritize least-toxic approaches in non-organic supply chains

0 out of 20 points

Prioritize USDA certified organic

5 out of 25 points

Support domestic organic growers

0 out of 15 points

Support public policies

0 out of 5 points

Albertsons has a written, publicly available pollinator health policy in the company Supplier Sustainability Guidelines & Expectations.Albertsons has a publicly available commitment to expand offerings in its 2018 annual report. Albertsons educates consumers by clearly defining the organic label on its website stating: “All O Organics products are USDA certified organic which means the products were grown in environmentally friendly ways that help to conserve biodiversity, promote ecological balance, and protect natural resources. This ensures that least 95% of the ingredients in each O Organics product are produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, added growth hormones or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).”

Albertsons does not appear to include reduction of pesticides of concern to pollinators and human health or expansion of organic offerings in company Key Performance Indicators or other formal sustainability criteria. Albertsons does not have educational content online on the value to pollinator and human health of decreasing use of toxic pesticides and expanding organic offerings.

Make policies and commitments publicly available

6 out of 6 points

Oversight

0 out of 5 points

Educate consumers

2 out of 10 points

Albertsons has not communicated with Friends of the Earth in the past year. Albertsons has not briefed Friends of the Earth on meaningful action the company has taken on pesticides and pollinator protection in the past three years.

Albertsons has not made a public commitment to reduce or phase out use of neonicotinoids in live goods and garden plants. Albertsons has not made a public commitment to remove neonicotinoid or glyphosate products from store shelves.

Policy for live goods

0 out of 4 points

Policy for on-shelf pesticide products

0 out of 5 points