29/05/2008 (Flex News) - The first food made with palm oil from certified sustainable sources will arrive on Sainsbury's shelves today.

The first food containing certified sustainable palm oil will be Sainsbury's ‘basics' fish fingers, a firm family favourite and available for only 49p. The packs of ten fish fingers, which are also made from MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) fish mark a major achievement by the supermarket which aims to be the first retailer of scale to use only 100% sustainable palm oil in its food.

As well as launching the Basics fish fingers in 280 stores across the UK, Sainsbury's also pledges to convert all its own brand products to using only sustainable palm oil by December 2014.

Extending the use of sustainable palm oil beyond food, Sainsbury's also pledges that by August 2008, it will be the first supermarket to use certified sustainable palm oil in its bars of soap. This will equate to approximately three million bars every year.

For these iconic products, Sainsbury's is using certified sustainable palm oil from an established plantation in Columbia. This plantation meets a high standard for sustainable palm oil production which has been endorsed by WWF.

Providing honest and transparent labelling for its customers, Sainsbury's will also be the first supermarket to label the use of palm oil in all its food. Labels will be updated on its fresh and chilled food by July 2008, and this programme will continue across all Sainsbury's own brand grocery shelves until palm oil is clearly labelled by July 2009.

Judith Batchelar, Director of Sainsbury's brand, said: "Last year we told our customers that we would be the first retailer to offer an every day food item made with certified sustainable palm oil and we have delivered this." 

Sourcing with integrity to protect the world's natural recourses is key to our business and we believe that rather than banning the use of palm oil, we need to find an environmentally and economically sustainable solution that will stop deforestation while supporting the communities that rely on its production. "