COLES has expanded its industry–leading carbon neutral beef range, with customers in New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania now able to purchase the country's first own brand carbon neutral beef product.
Shoppers can purchase six premium quality cuts of beef, including porterhouse steak, chuck roast and scotch fillet, which was recently awarded Product of the Year in the 2023 Consumer Survey of Product Innovation.
The beef range is certified carbon neutral from paddock to shelf in accordance with the Australian Government's Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard.
Coles National Livestock Manager (beef and lamb) Stephen Rennie said Coles is proud to partner with farmers to provide more customers with a sustainable meat product and support Coles' Together to Zero ambitions.
"We were really encouraged by the response we received when we launched our carbon neutral beef in Victoria earlier this year, and we're very excited to be able to provide this sustainable option to more customers around the country," said Stephen Rennie.
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Managing Director of Integrity Ag and Environment Dr Stephen Wiedemann has been working with Coles for the past two years to pilot and deliver innovative ways to lower emissions throughout the entire supply chain and use emission removals to deliver carbon neutrality.
"We certify every farm and facility throughout the whole supply chain to confirm emissions, emission reductions and emission removals," said Dr Wiedemann.
"These results are independently verified by a third party verifier and approved by the Federal Government's Climate Active program.
"In this program, we are delivering low–emission beef by maximising productivity in the supplier herds, insetting via on–farm tree planting, soil carbon sequestration and in the near future, feeding next generation supplements to directly reduce livestock emissions.
"This is an exciting program delivering real change through the whole industry," he said.
Holbrook cattle farmer Daniel Mathie has made significant changes to the operation of his family's farm over the past several years in order to reduce emissions and supply the Coles carbon neutral beef range, including installation of solar panels, the storage of carbon in the soil through best practice soil and pasture management, a focus on herd productivity, the utilisation of industry leading cattle genetics, and the planting of more than 50,000 trees.
"We're really excited to be collaborating with Coles on this cutting–edge project because sustainability is paramount to my family and me.
"We make a living off the land, but if we don't look after it, it won't be here for future generations," said the 30–year–old farmer.
Coles Finest Certified Carbon Neutral Beef carries the Climate Active logo to help customers identify the certified beef on shelves.
Climate Active certification is awarded to businesses and organisations that have credibly reached a state of achieving carbon neutrality for their products or services.
Meat and Livestock Australia Managing Director Jason Strong congratulated Coles on the expansions of the range and said it was an important step towards achieving the red meat industry's target of carbon neutrality by 2030.
"Coles is leading the charge when it comes to carbon neutral beef.
"By working directly with farmers to help them lower emissions and offset carbon, the red meat industry is getting closer towards achieving its target of carbon neutral by 2030," said Jason Strong.
The new beef range is packed into a recyclable tray and made from 90 per cent recycled and plant–based sources, an Australian innovation by Plantic.
