Sustainable food provider, Wild Hare and leading online food grocer, Ocado have formed a partnership that will see carbon neutral ready meals delivered across the UK.
The arrangement will see a selection of the Wild Hare Group’s signature ready meals, which use high-quality, fresh, nutritious and British grown ingredients, become available via the Ocado website and mobile app from the 12th April.
The two brands share a common stance on the environment — with sustainability being a top priority for both. Ocado is committed to being the UK’s most sustainable grocer and recently announced it is the first retailer globally to have a net zero HQ. The announcement forms part of its broader ambition to become net zero by 2040 by focussing on four core areas: food waste, carbon impact, packaging waste, and responsible impact.
The online grocery retailer also has the lowest food waste in the industry at just 0.6%, compared to the average of 2-5%, and has its own closed loop carrier bag recycling scheme that has recycled over 100 million bags to date.
Wild Hare understands the importance of reducing its environmental impact and that’s why it has conducted a cradle-to-grave life-cycle-assessment to calculate the emissions of its entire product range. The brand has been working closely with suppliers to reduce its emissions at every stage, and has offset its remaining emissions to achieve carbon neutrality — whilst remaining dedicated to supporting suppliers with emissions reduction. A partnership with the carbon tracking app, Reewild, allows Wild Hare to transparently display this information. As the brand continues to grow, partnering with Ocado will push its products to a larger audience and signifies a great milestone for the business.
Freddie Lintell, Founder and CEO of Reewild, said “We’re delighted to be working with brands at the forefront of the climate movement like Wild Hare. The momentum behind carbon labelling is rapidly growing, and we’re working hard to accelerate that growth, and give consumers the information they need to make better decisions. Our solution enables businesses to be fully transparent about their impact, providing them with the tools to reduce and offset their emissions, while also driving engagement and repeat business.”
Ocado will stock five Wild Hare ready meals — British Red Wine Braised Chuck Steak with Buttered Mash, Cauliflower & Chickpea Dhal, British Chicken Dhal, British Chicken Caesar Risotto and a Lasagne dish made with regenagri certified beef, in partnership with the Ethical Butcher. The Ethical Butcher is a leader in its field, only working with UK farmers that use regenerative agriculture methods, to offer an extensive range of meats direct to consumers. Everything the brand sells has come from an animal raised and fed on pasture, and this system can be carbon negative alongside promoting land regeneration and biodiversity — resulting in meats of incredible flavour with a positive impact on the environment.
Franco Costantini, Managing Director of certification body Control Union UK, which certifies regenagri, commented: “The beef being used in the Wild Hare Lasagne was the first in the UK to gain regenagri certification. What this means is that it is being produced on a farm that is managed in a way that actively regenerates the land – increasing soil health and biodiversity, improving water management and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere back into the soil. Regenerative farming has become crucial around the world to reverse the environmental impact of agriculture and to enhance ecosystems. We are proud to see the Wild Hare Lasagne carrying the regenagri certified logo as it launches at Ocado, and hope it is just the first of many such products to come.”
The incorporation of new interactive QR technology will ensure total transparency of each ready meal — whilst also offering consumers the opportunity to offset their own meal via a personal Reewild portal. The brand hopes to ignite a sense of community where consumers have the opportunity to enjoy delicious meals with a clear carbon conscience.
Dominie Fearn, founder of The Wild Hare Group, commented: “Partnering with Ocado is a huge milestone for Wild Hare and its ambitious climate targets only amplify how delighted we are that one of the UK’s leading online retailers will be delivering our meals as of April. We made some significant strides in 2021 — with our latest being carbon neutrality as we seek to encourage climate action through convenience food. Our next step is to encourage more and more people to engage with our products and what better platform than the UK’s largest online supermarket?”
Lucy Hamblion, buying manager at Ocado Retail says: “Carbon conscious brands like Wild Hare represent a greener future for the industry and by supporting these types of brands, we are able to help fulfil our own ambitious environmental objectives at Ocado Retail. We can’t wait to hear what our customers think about this excellent range and look forward to helping build a more sustainable future with Wild Hare.”
Dominie continued: “It’s admirable to see such a big industry name committing to ambitious carbon targets and it’s pivotal that businesses with influence adopt a similar approach. We understand the magnitude of achieving net zero, yet firmly believe carbon accountability is the key to a greener food industry. With climate change at the forefront of the global agenda, we hope that more people will engage with our products and embrace their value to the environment.”
