The biggest environmental and ethical challenges in the food chain can typically be found in the primary production, and the longer and more complex the supply chain the trickier it may prove to trace ingredients to farm level. In that light, tracking the origin of domestic ingredients when needed is relatively easy; and mostly the sustainability risks are small. The share of domestic produce of all food served by Leijona Catering in 2021 was 77 percent (calculated from purchase volumes).
We value our responsible and reliable partners and we want to be ourselves also a responsible and reliable partner. For example, we buy the very large quantities we typically need from contracted suppliers based on forecasts so that we do not cause any unforeseen surplus in the food industry.
Leijona Catering buys food ingredients from a wholesaler who already in the bidding process was required to adhere to criteria related to animal-based produce. We only use meat produced responsibly, where antibiotics are only used for treating sick animals as prescribed and monitored by a veterinarian. All non-hatched fish produce must be traceable by catch region and date.
In 2023, 22 percent of ingredients imported from so-called risk countries had an ethical or environmental responsibility certificate, or alternatively the producer had passed a sustainability audit.
To further ensure the responsible origins of food produce we have joined the Amfori BSCI organization in 2023. We are implementing a risk-based method with which we can proactively plan how we prepare to the future EU ethical due diligence regulation.
Read more about the domestic origins of food at Leijona Catering and our Whistle-blowing channel.