Sainsbury’s is an integral part of UK society. A major employer with over 141,000 colleagues, it’s responsible for a business of our scale to engage in a transparent and proactive way with the government and regulators.
Collaborating with government and industry helps to understand and address challenges across the UK food system, including climate change, which is critical to the long-term resilience of our business and helps us provide products and services to our customers for generations to come.
Key sustainability topics that matter to the government and regulators
- Openness and transparency
- Compliance with regulation, including Groceries Supply Code of Practice
- Action on sustainability matters
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Industry insight to support legislation
How we engage on sustainability
- Public responses to government consultations and through NGO/industry groups
- Engagement with government and policymakers through regular correspondence and attendance at parliamentary and political events and conferences
- Direct meetings, including store-based engagement with elected representatives
- Participation in government-organised forums, such as the Retail Sector Council, Defra Retailer Forum, Department for Business and Trade Retail Forum and Food Data Transparency Project
- Liaison with key bodies and departments, including the Groceries Code Adjudicator, HMRC, Trading Standards, Food Standards Agency, Environment Agency and Department for Health and Social Care
- Trade association meetings, including those convened by the British Retail Consortium and the Institute of Grocery Distribution
Examples of our engagement on sustainability in FY2025/26
- Parliamentary events including parliamentary reception
- Worked closely on key reforms including food resilience, the Government’s Food Strategy, health, EVs, circular economy and food poverty
- Direct engagement with MPs, Ministers and officials through events, conferences, meetings, visits and panel discussions
- Ongoing exploration of private sector top ups to the Healthy Start Scheme