Purpose in action

Organic farming and food products

25 September 2025

In 1986, we became one of the first supermarket to offer organic food and we now stock over 800 organic products. This includes a wide range of branded and non-branded products.

Organic production is a system of farming and food production that prioritises environmental sustainability, animal welfare, soil health, and social responsibility. Organic farmers are required to be certified by law and must adhere to a strict set of standards informed by legal regulations. These regulations apply to every stage of the product’s life - growing, processing and marketing. Independent organisations, referred to as control bodies, inspect and certify organic operators. There are currently eight approved UK control bodies, as well as other recognised bodies globally. 

Organic farming focuses on creating a natural balance between plants and animals to prevent pests, for example by encouraging beneficial insects and using natural weed suppressants. Organic farming nourishes plants naturally by building fertile soils, using methods like crop rotations, composting, and animal manure to maintain healthy, nutrient-rich soils.

Milk

Our SO Organic milk comes from organic farmers who work to a strict set of standards to ensure that their farms sustain the health of soils, ecosystems, animals and people. These farms are certified by an organic certification body that carries out annual assessments on each farm to ensure they are meeting the prescribed standards.

Organic dairy cows are free range, which means that they must have access to pasture when weather and ground conditions permit and are sheltered in bright, airy barns in winter. Organic farms have lower stocking rates, which means there is a lower number of cows per barn or per field and are fed a grass-based diet of at least 60% forage. All the organic farms in our supply chain are asked to demonstrate measurable levels of improving health and welfare, managed through careful stock management and lower stocking rates.

Only natural fertilisers such as compost, animal manure and green manures are used on organic farms, as well as crop rotations, to maintain healthy soils. Antibiotics and wormers cannot be routinely used on organic farms and will only be used in circumstances where the health or welfare of the animal is at risk.

Beef

Sainsbury’s has been working closely with a select group of 160 organic British beef producers for the last 35 years. We hold producer meetings throughout the year, with regular newsletters and updates. These farmers are aligned with our Plan for Better to ensure they produce organic British beef which is both high quality and sustainable for the future.

“The Baker family farm, located in Cornwall, has been dedicated to organic farming since 2005. They raise a herd of Stabilisers, which graze outdoors and are moved to fresh nutritional grass daily. As part of Sainsbury's network of farmers, they are committed to the Plan for Better targets, striving to produce top-quality beef in an environmentally sustainable way, with a focus on the planet and future generations.”

Lamb

Organic lambs are raised in a way that closely reflects their natural environment. From birth, they are free to roam on organic pastures, grazing on grass and forage that is grown without synthetic fertilisers. By avoiding synthetic inputs and encouraging biodiversity, the organic farming system supports healthy soils, protects waterways, and creates habitats for wildlife. This slow, 100% pasture-based approach contributes to the tender texture and rich flavour that organic meat is known for.

Turkey

As soon as our SO organic turkeys are old enough to regulate their body temperature (around 8 weeks of age), they are moved from bright, airy barns and are given permanent access to pasture. The birds live on grass leys with woodland areas and cover strips, where they forage and exhibit natural behaviours such as pecking and scratching. They are provided with varied enrichment and areas for perching, and lead an active, outdoor life. Our SO Organic turkeys are certified organic by the Soil Association and are available in store and online in December. They are known for their succulent texture and flavour, perfect for a Christmas centrepiece.

Egg

“We take great satisfaction from creating a rich, natural habitat for our organic free-range hens to thrive in; planting native trees and hedges to support indigenous wildlife and encourage our hens to range further. With a diet of organically approved rations, containing no GM ingredients, and expansive ranges that are managed without chemical inputs, our hens lay the most beautifully tasty organic eggs that we know you will love” – The Lakes Free Range Egg Company

Carrots

In the UK, organic carrots are grown from August – May across a variety of different locations, using soil conditions and weather patterns to guide the best place to plant crops.   Crop rotation is important for organic carrot growers to help support long term soil health, part of which includes growing in different geographic locations.  Our new season organic carrots are planted in areas such as west & north Norfolk, as the land type allows ground work and seed bed preparation to begin early, with crop from Shropshire and Aberdeenshire also in supply through the autumn and winter months.  Late season crop is grown in the Scottish Highlands, utilising land along the Morayshire coastline as the cool winds off the coast help manage soil temperatures when storing crop in the ground.

Salads

We have some great products in our organic range, and are always looking to expand and innovate, such as our project on integrated pest management (IPM) with salad supplier, G’s:

Sainsbury’s and G’s Fresh Launch Innovative IPM Project to Boost Organic Salad Production

In collaboration with G’s Fresh Ltd, we have launched a pioneering IPM initiative aimed at enhancing the resilience and sustainability of organic salad crop production in the UK. The project seeks to address growing agronomic challenges, particularly pest pressures and the loss of approved pesticides, which threaten crop quality and yield.

Organic salad crops such as lettuce, celery, and onions face increasing risks from pest damage, compounded by the limited availability of effective control measures in organic crops, and challenges in encouraging the right beneficial insects. Organic farms currently rely on insect mesh, as well as permitted organic inputs, but these methods have potential to be improved to benefit quality and yield, and also further enhance nature and biodiversity. 

The project will introduce the strategic placement of flowering strips into uncropped areas (such as field margins and beetle banks) to attract and sustain beneficial insects. These strips will serve as feeding and breeding grounds for natural predators, reducing the need for further interventions, while improving biodiversity and supporting nature.

G’s Cambs Farm

“G’s Cambs Farms comprises of 56 hectares of flower meadows and nectar enhanced borders, 60 hectares of permanent grassland, with 6 hectares of lapwing plots and 6 hectares of Turtle dove feeding sites and nesting habitat. Wetland and reedbed areas have been created and are managed to encourage breeding waders; nest boxes have also been installed to provide homes for Tree Sparrow, bats and Barn Owls.

Our production of UK organic summer salads typically commences in May (weather dependant), with harvest running through the summer months and finishing at the end of September/beginning of October. Salad crops are raised from seed in the greenhouse and planted at three leaf size in blocks into our organic fenland fields, which are naturally high in organic matter, with many of our fields in view of the iconic Ely Cathedral. Our organic crops are protected with mesh to prevent pests entering the crop and are typically hand weeded through the growing process. Upon reaching maturity, crops are hand harvested and packaged in the field, to ensure minimal handling and maximum field to shelf freshness. 

Cambs Farms have reduced their water usage through implementation of drip irrigation, particularly on organic celery. The reduction in overhead irrigation has significantly contributed towards improved quality. The investment in natural water resources has allowed G’s to continue to irrigate crops through some of the warmest summer in a generation, without interruption. 

G’s have been growing organic salads, beetroot and onions for Sainsbury’s on the nutrient rich organic fen soil for over 20 years. G’s Cambs farms is led by Charles Shropshire a third-generation farmer, whose father and grandfather have supplied Sainsbury’s with healthy fresh produce for many decades.”