Ethical Supermarkets

Supermarkets are associated with a lot of unethical practices, yet they’re hard to avoid, with most of us using them regularly. Product ranges of supermarkets are vast, from clothes to banks, phone contracts, and furniture.

But it’s food that most of us depend on them for, and that’s what we’ve focused on in this guide. 

Finding the most ethical supermarket

Although this guide doesn't have many high scoring brands, there are some clear differences between those at the top and those at the bottom of the ethical scoretable.

If you do have a choice of supermarkets locally, it's possible to make a difference on a number of ethical issues, like workers' rights, animal welfare, packaging and climate action.

In this guide we don’t shy away from the troublesome practices of UK supermarkets. Examining these makes it clear why it is better to opt for local wholefood shops, veg box schemes, and other ethical alternatives if possible (see our new guide on ethical food shops for these alternatives).

But we also provide tips on how to make more social and environmental choices if you do buy from the mainstream supermarkets, and draw attention to brands with slightly better practices and product ranges. 

And if you want to move away from the big brands, look at our new guide on eco supermarkets which covers mainly online ethical companies.

Which supermarkets are in this guide?

We have included all the mainstream UK supermarkets from the budget brands like Aldi and Lidl, to multinational companies like Asda and Tesco, along with other brands like Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons and Sainsbury's, and the slightly pricier Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.

For the first time we've also included Amazon Fresh in the supermarket guide. But as our ongoing boycott campaign against Amazon explains, it's not a brand we recommend!

And alongside this guide to mainstream supermarkets, we have a new guide to ethical food shops, where nearly all of them score more highly than any of the supermarkets here!

Top tips on how to shop ethically in supermarkets

Supermarkets aim to make shopping as easy as possible, not only by selling lots of different things under one roof, but depending on size and location, may also provide parking, toilets, a cafe and sometimes a pharmacy. 

If you do use supermarkets, here's seven top tips to help you shop more ethically in them:

1. Choose ethical brands where possible
2. Pick Fairtrade items
3. Buy local and seasonal produce 
4. Spend as ethically as you can afford 
5. Buy unpackaged where possible
6. Choose plant-based products
7. Buy organic where possible 

We explore each one of these in more detail in the guide. 

Supermarkets squeeze farmers 

The power of supermarkets partly comes from the concentration of the sector in the hands of only a few large companies. 

Conservative MP David Jones said in UK parliament in January 2024: 

“Around 95% of the food that is consumed in this country is sold by just 12 retailers. Many of these are multi-billion-pound companies. The disparity of bargaining strength between them and small family firms is very obvious”. 

Below are some results by Riverford of a poll of 100 fruit and vegetable farmers who had traded with supermarkets in the past 5 years. The results highlight problems of financial risk, cancelled orders, wasted produce, and paying less than had been agreed. 

UK farms barely surviving

• Over half of farmers believed their farms are at financial risk.
• 67% said making a living out of farming had never been harder.

Import competition and government regulations also create pressure on farmers, but supermarkets’ poor practices are a major problem.

• A quarter said supermarkets are at the root of problems they are facing.
• 29% received a cancelled order from supermarkets with no explanation.
• 20% suffered a wasted crop due to cancelled orders from supermarkets.

How could supermarkets be fairer to UK farmers?

• 70% of farmers surveyed agreed it would have a positive impact if buyers paid the amount initially agreed and did not slash prices later.
• 64% agreed it would have a positive impact if buyers bought everything they committed to buy.
• 69% say tougher regulations are needed to address the imbalance of power between farmers, processors, and supermarkets.

#GetFairOnFarming campaign

Riverford is calling for government policy requiring supermarkets to, for example:

• Buy what they agreed to buy.
• Pay what they agreed to pay.
• Pay on time.

In one example, a farmer explained how they lost thousands of pounds after a major UK supermarket cancelled an order for 60 tonnes of salad potatoes: 

"It came to harvest time and we got the potatoes out of the ground, harvested them and at that point we got informed they'd been delisted – meaning they weren't on the variety list that the supermarket wanted to take any longer … there's nothing you can do about it … there's always a sense of jeopardy as to whether your crop is going to make the cut."

Take action for fairer farming

Watch a video about Riverford’s fair farming campaign. 
 

Workers’ rights and supermarkets

Our research showed that even supermarkets with thorough workers’ rights policies face regular criticism from the media and campaign groups, suggesting that exploitation is regularly occurring in their supply chains.

Three companies, Amazon, Asda and Iceland, scored 0 marks (out of 100) in the workers category.

Tesco was accused of major workers’ rights abuse in 2022 by supply chain workers in Thailand who had been working 99-hour weeks and sleeping on concrete floors.

Even supermarkets who score higher up in our guide are not immune to workers' rights issues. For example, in February 2024 it was reported that workers at Sumithra Group, Sri Lanka, which makes clothing for M&S and other brands, went on strike demanding a wage that was sufficient to live on. According to campaign group Labour Behind the Label, the workers, predominantly young women, are paid under £3 per day. Take action: Send a template email to M&S’s CEO demanding fair wages for workers at Sumithra.

Which supermarket pays shop floor workers the most?

The UK legal minimum wage for those aged 21 and over is currently £11.44 per hour (and significantly less for those younger), but the Real Living Wage Foundation calculates that £12 is actually the minimum needed for a decent life, or £13.15 for those in London. We’ve listed the supermarkets’ national rates for new employees in the table below.

Iceland was the only supermarket we found that used its right to offer employees aged under 21 a lower rate of pay.

Looking at hourly rates alone can be deceptive though – for example, Amazon is accused of wrongly labelling many workers ‘self-employed’, which denies them the right to a minimum wage. It’s being taken to court by more than 2,000 drivers for this reason. One ‘self-employed’ Amazon driver says,

“In one week I worked 36 hours over four days and I should have earned £464 but they gave me £2.74. It doesn’t sound believable but it’s true.”

What happened with the gender discrimination case?

In 2014, Leigh Day began representing Asda shop floor workers, claiming shop floor workers (mainly women) were paid less than warehouse workers (mainly men) due to gender discrimination. Many other brands now face similar cases.

The claim is ongoing and it doesn’t seem like anyone’s received a payout yet but, if successful, some workers could claim over £20,000 compensation.

Former and current employees of Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, and Tesco can claim at Equal Pay Now to ensure they’re entitled to a payout if the case goes the way of the workers.

Is buying British produce better for workers and local economies?

Organisations like Landworkers Alliance call for 80% of UK food production to be local by 2030.

For many supermarkets, the majority, if not all, of their meat, eggs, and dairy milk is British.

Keeping supply chains shorter does, in general, result in better transparency and working conditions, and supports local companies and economies.

That’s not always the case though. At a Staffordshire farm producing strawberries for Co-op, Lidl, and Tesco, migrant workers reported being threatened with deportation and being blacklisted by the farm owners. "Even before we start work the supervisors would be screaming at us ... they would treat you like an animal".

Local veg box companies tend to have shorter supply chains than the large supermarket suppliers, and are more likely to employ local people than be involved in higher-risk visa schemes, and are more likely to send out what’s in season. There are some veg box suppliers in our new guide to ethical food retailers.

Ethical Trading Initiative policies vs supermarkets’ own

All brands except Amazon, Iceland, and Ocado are members of the Ethical Trading Initiative, which means they commit to following its base code of workers’ rights standards.

However, supermarkets’ own supplier policies often don’t mirror the ETI’s base code and are notably less robust. For example, some supermarkets only required suppliers to pay their staff the minimum wage, while the ETI base stipulates a “living wage” must be paid.

Co-op, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose were the only brands that had written in their own words policies that are as strong as the ETI’s regarding wages, regular employment, and working hours. 

Fake farms

Your carrots might have a massive label looking like the name of a British farm, but a closer look may show it’s imported.

Former Labour MP Barry Gardiner said recently, “We have Willow Farm for poultry. We have Nightingale Farms for salads. We have Redmere Farms for vegetables, Woodside Farms for pork, Boswell Farms for beef, and Bay Fishmongers for fish. It is a load of cobblers. It is absolutely fake.”

Former Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mark Spencer, didn’t seem to take the issue particularly seriously, responding: “clearly Mars bars are not produced on the planet Mars, are they?”

But the use of ‘fake farms’ on supermarket labelling highlights the importance of transparency around provenance. It can also stray into the area of greenwashing, especially with images of a rural farming idyll which may be far removed from the reality, particularly of factory farming. 

Workers on far-away farms

The labour of millions of workers worldwide makes many products on UK supermarket shelves.

Over half of the cases of worker exploitation in supermarket supply chains are linked to the food sector.

Tesco was the most heavily linked to migrant abuse highlighted in a Business & Human Rights report, with eight cases between December 2022 and November 2023.

The vegan aisle

Unfortunately all mainstream supermarkets are linked to animal suffering.

Exposés routinely show how supermarkets’ animal welfare policies aren’t thoroughly implemented in their supply chains.

For example, in December 2023 The Independent published a video showing ducks being swung by their necks and slammed into drawers. 

This was at a farm which supplied Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose and was Red Tractor endorsed.

From hens being hit with shovels and hung upside down, to pigs being beaten to death with iron bars, meat and dairy on supermarket shelves is not something to buy if you care about creatures and their comfort.

Most supermarkets scored poorly in our dairy milk guide, which makes suggestions for alternative brands and retailers to use, or choose plant milks, which not only are better for animals but also the planet. 

Which supermarket has the best vegan products?

In 2023 BBC Good Food judges rated over 100 supermarket plant-based products. Here are a few of the highlights from our higher-scoring or recommended brands:

• Vegan milk: ‘Lidl Vemondo unsweetened soya milk’, ‘Waitrose barista oat long life drink’ 
• Vegan cheese: ‘M&S Plant Kitchen sliced mature style alternative to cheddar’ and ‘Free From by Sainsbury’s Original alternative to soft cheese’
• Vegan yoghurt: ‘Lidl Vemondo soya yoghurt’
• Vegan mayonnaise: ‘M&S Plant Kitchen vegan mayo’

Which supermarket has the cheapest plant-based ranges?

Which? magazine compared 14 plant-based staples at a selection of supermarkets and found Aldi was cheapest, followed by Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Waitrose.

Find out more about vegan shopping in the supermarket with our separate article. 

Franckenchickens

Animal rights charity Open Cages tells us about their ‘Frankenchicken’ campaign.

“Over 1 billion chickens are farmed in the UK every year to meet demand. This is ten times more than all other farmed animals combined. Unfortunately, after many decades of selective breeding for efficiency, these chickens now grow so fast that they are slaughtered at around 40 days old."

“These fast growing ‘frankenchickens’ routinely suffer from debilitating health problems such as broken bones, lameness, skin conditions and sometimes even heart attacks. Our investigation showed that 74% of the chickens sold in Lidl had ‘hock burns’ still on the meat in the shop. Hock burn is a skin disease caused by the birds sitting in their own excrement.

“Launched in 2017, the Better Chicken Commitment is a set of science-backed chicken welfare improvements, including the adoption of slower growing, healthier breeds. Hundreds of companies across the world have since signed up, including M&S and Waitrose.”

Sign the Open Cages petition addressed to the CEOs of Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s.

What about fish welfare?

If you want to eat fish, buying organic or wild-caught is the best way to ensure higher standards of living and that the farming isn’t eroding other life in the ocean. 

RSPCA-assured is the next best option.

Read more about food welfare labels in our separate articles on food labels (including fish welfare schemes) and dairy milk assurance schemes. 

How do supermarkets score on animal welfare?

We rated RSCPA-assured certification and free range relatively positively in our animal products rating, but there have been investigations which have found abuses at farms which carry these labels.

Amazon, Asda, Iceland, and Lidl had the least stringent welfare policies in this guide.

The best option is to avoid or greatly reduce your purchasing of animal products. Explore other options in our guides to alternatives to meat burgers and sausages, plant milks and vegan cheese.

But if you want to buy meat and dairy, local organic or “Pasture for Life” certified produce is best.

What are supermarkets doing about packaging?

Our packaging rating assesses what a company is doing to reduce the packaging (particularly single-use plastic) for its products, in its own operations, and in its supply chain.

Shoppers are less likely to buy loose

According to supermarkets, most shoppers prefer plastic – they are much less likely to buy unpackaged options.

In 2019, Iceland abandoned a loose produce trial after it led to a 30% drop in sales.

Joanna Linley of the anti-waste charity WRAP says: “Regardless of what we say, and what we know we should do, realistically when we go into a shop grabbing a bag of something is much easier and more convenient than buying something loose … It’s obviously great asking the retailers to sell more loose but if people aren’t choosing it, then there’s a real disconnect.”

How to price and sell loose products 

One issue that puts people off is that they don’t know how much they’ll have to pay for the loose item until it reaches the scales, which is generally at the till. Shifting to ‘per item’ pricing might help overcome that obstacle, or having scales available for shoppers to weigh products before buying – as is done in many European supermarkets.

How much are supermarkets reducing packaging and plastics?

We reviewed what supermarkets are doing to reduce packaging, and plastic packaging, and how much recycled plastic they use in their own plastic packaging. 

Results are based on brand-published data available on their websites in June 2024. 'No' means the company has not published clear statistics demonstrating whether the criteria was met.

Asda was particularly disappointing. It previously set a target to reduce own-brand plastic packaging by 15% and, after it achieved that goal in 2021, instead of creating a new goal, it simply said its commitment was achieved and “now retired”.

Other groups have also compared how supermarkets are doing when it comes to packaging and plastic reduction:

• Changing Markets’ 2023 report showed Aldi, then Lidl, then M&S as having the strongest approaches to plastics.
• Greenpeace’s 2021 plastics ranking showed Waitrose, Aldi, M&S, and Lidl to have the strongest approaches.
• An Environmental Investigations Agency 2021 report showed Waitrose, Aldi, M&S, and Lidl to have the best approach.

Do supermarkets really recycle our soft plastics?

Soft plastics are hard to recycle which is why local authorities often don’t accept it, but many supermarkets offer collection points for it.

In 2022, Bloomberg placed tiny digital trackers inside three used plastic items in Tesco’s soft recycling scheme and found that “some was recycled but the rest was burned or shipped off to an uncertain fate”, travelling as far as Germany, Poland, and Turkey.

It’s probably better to risk the not-so-transparent supermarket schemes compared to just chucking soft plastics in a black bin bag, but reducing the amount we buy overall is better still.

A future ban on plastic food packets?

There are reports that the UK government is considering new regulations which could see plastic wrapping drop for many fruits and vegetables in favour of loose products in major supermarkets. We’ll keep you updated if it progresses.

Find out more about the problems and solutions of plastics, and compostable alternatives in our separate articles:

Which supermarkets are best for organic produce?

In addition to being the best welfare option for animals, organic produce is better for our ecosystems and biodiversity.

Waitrose won the Soil Association’s ‘Best of Organic Supermarket’ award in 2023. The company says its Duchy Organic range is the UK’s largest own-label organic food and drink brand, with over 260 organic products available.

Nearly all supermarkets provide some organic options – with more variety at larger branches.

Find out more in our separate article on organic food.

Buy ethical brands in supermarkets

Supermarkets stock some of our Best Buys and recommended brands (such as Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate or Cafédirect coffee).

If you use supermarkets, buying ethical brands in the supermarket is the best way to feel reassured that you’re supporting fair practices. 

This approach is helpful if you don't have a choice of supermarket, either due to location or other factors, or don't have other ethical food retailers like independent wholefood shops. 

Buy fair trade items where possible

The Fairtrade Foundation highlights Aldi, Amazon, Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Ocado, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose as key retailers that work with Fairtrade, but all supermarkets sell some certified products.

All Co-op and Waitrose own-label bananas, coffee, tea, sugar, and cocoa in confectionery are Fairtrade.

Buying Fairtrade doesn't always mean having to pay more. For example, Co-op, M&S, and Waitrose were highlighted by The Guardian in 2023 as retailers whose budget range include Fairtrade products.

Supermarkets may soon implement a new Fairtrade ‘buying coalition’ model, which could enable supermarkets to club together to buy Fairtrade products on long-term contracts. This could increase the number of Fairtrade products on shelves in the coming months. It hasn’t been tried before due to concern that it might contravene competition laws, but the Competition and Markets Authority seems to have given a trial the green light.

Find out more about fair trade food (and the difference between fair trade and Fairtrade!) in our separate article.

Shopping ethically within your budget

Where possible, shop as ethically as you can within your budget.

Most of our recommended supermarkets are a bit pricier than some of the other brands in this guide. But at least some of the money you spend at these supermarkets allows them to uphold more ethical practices.

Which? magazine compared the average cost for 69 popular grocery items across eight major supermarkets and found Aldi then Lidl to be cheapest, with Waitrose the most expensive (its analysis didn’t include Co-op). 

Co-op doesn’t have large supermarkets at the scale of the others, instead operating lots of smaller grocery shops, which means it has higher costs. 

Ethics on a smaller budget

Although there are higher scoring supermarkets in the scoretable, and they are better if you can afford them, Lidl is the better option of the budget supermarkets largely because it has slightly better palm oil and agriculture policies.

You can also find some organic and fair trade items in the budget supermarkets. 

Supermarkets and climate impact 

The following brands are leading the way on climate action as they have calculated all their climate emissions and have science-based targets for reducing them: 

• Co-op
• Marks & Spencer
• Morrisons
• Ocado
• Sainsbury’s
• Waitrose.

Environmental charity Feedback Global’s 2023 report, Greenwash Grocers, says:

“Supermarkets’ own data indicates that sales of fresh meat, fish and dairy alone constitute around a third or more of their total emissions.”

The report highlights how several supermarkets avoid discussion of meat and dairy impacts, when it should be a key focus area for carbon-reduction strategies.

Environmental group Feedback Global criticised Aldi in 2023 for claiming to be carbon neutral since 2019, when actually its claim didn’t cover 99% of its emissions (those in its supply chain).

Asda scored 0 marks (out of 100) in our guide for its climate approach and was criticised by the Environmental Investigation Agency in 2023 for installing climate-damaging refrigerants (known as HFCs) at a time when other supermarkets are reducing their use.

Is buying British produce better for the planet?

In terms of climate impact, methods of production (including the type of food you’re buying, and land-use) are generally more significant than how far the food was transported.

Buying UK-grown products in artificially heated environments can create more carbon than shipping products from hotter countries. 

Buying seasonal food helps avoid this e.g. buying British strawberries when they're in season in the summer months.

What are supermarket policies on palm oil?

The majority of brands (all those except Aldi, Amazon, Iceland, and Ocado) had all of their palm oil RSPO certified, with at least 50% fully traceable back to origin. But none of them published supplier names, or grievance lists. 

While Iceland previously removed all palm from its own-brand products, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine made sourcing alternative oils difficult it resumed palm-sourcing, and it doesn’t look like the palm it is using is certified through the more stringent methods available.

What happens to supermarket food waste?

Supermarkets might claim that none of their waste goes to landfill, but lots does get turned into animal food or simply turned into energy through anaerobic digestion which arguably isn’t much better.

On apps like Too Good To Go you can find supermarket food near its use-by date, available at discounted prices.

We have a separate article with top tips on reducing food waste, and another one on food waste apps.

Supermarkets, tax and big salaries for the bosses 

Every major supermarket pays at least one director over £1m annually, except Lidl Great Britain which paid £855,000 (though a figure for its whole company group wasn’t found and may be higher).

Asda’s owners allegedly tried to find a new CEO using the lure of a £10m pay packet. Asda, now owned mostly by a private equity firm, is registered in the tax haven Jersey and parliament has expressed ‘concerns’ about its tax conduct.

Ocado faced criticism for seeking a £15m bonus for its CEO when it doesn’t pay employees the real living wage.

Co-op is the only Fair Tax Mark certified supermarket. 

What are the alternatives to supermarkets?

Our new to guide ethical food shops rates 15 ethical alternatives to supermarkets.

We also outline a variety of other options including subscription food/veg boxes, farmers' markets and local refill shops in our separate article on alternatives to supermarkets. 

Community supermarkets 

A recent government survey showed 25% of people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are “food insecure”.

Community or social supermarkets are now emerging, supported by councils. These are set up like a regular small supermarket where members can buy food at 30-40% lower prices. While food banks offer an invaluable service, for many they carry stigma. Community supermarkets aim to create an environment that people want to be in.

If you want to support this, find your local community supermarket and make a donation.

Would you steal from a supermarket?

Shoplifting increased 27% from 2022-23, perhaps unsurprisingly coinciding with major food price inflation. The Sun polled 2,500 readers and found that nearly half had stolen from supermarkets. 

Everybody Eats is a campaign group stealing from supermarkets across the UK and donating the stolen foods to food banks, with some activists in Manchester dressed in Robin Hood costumes. See what they’re up to on Instagram @everybodyeats_uk

What are supermarkets' approaches to Palestine and Israel?

Co-op is the only supermarket with a policy against sourcing from illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. 

Aldi, Lidl, and Tesco are among the supermarkets recently targeted by Palestinian rights protestors.

The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) committee isn’t calling for a boycott of any UK supermarkets, but it is calling for a boycott of fruit and vegetables imported from Israel, saying: “Boycott produce from Israel in your supermarket and demand their removal from shelves. Beyond being part of a trade that fuels Israel’s apartheid economy, Israeli fruits, vegetables, and wines misleadingly labelled as ‘Product of Israel’ often include products of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land.”

In 2023, Israel was the world’s largest exporter of dates, but a whole range of fresh fruit and vegetables travel from Israel to the UK each year, including basics like carrots and potatoes.

Should we boycott M&S?

Many people associate M&S with a Palestine boycott. The brand has historical links to Zionism, for example, a former M&S president was vice-president of the British Zionist Federation.

But M&S has described itself as secular for over a decade, has no current links to Zionism, and appears no more linked to Israel than other supermarkets. No Palestinian campaign groups are running a boycott against it. 

At a time when taking a stance for Palestine is so important, focusing collective energies on the brands targeted by Palestinian campaigners for their links to human rights abuses is a much better way to spend our energy.

Supermarkets and junk food 

Whether through promotions or where they position their products, supermarkets have long tempted people to buy processed unhealthy foods that they didn’t originally plan to buy. 

However, in 2022, junk food displays at supermarket checkouts, shop entrances and aisle ends were banned.

Researchers at the universities of Southampton and London interviewed 100 people including consumers and retailers and concluded that all parties largely support the ban.