#1
Food safety priority
Non-negotiable across all 31 countries
90-95%
Of our carbon footprint comes from products
The range we source and distribute to customers
24
Sustainability factsheets
Published by Bidfood UK for customer education
Top scorer
RSPO Shared Responsibility Scorecard
Recognised for shared responsibility leadership in palm oil sourcing
Product pillar
We deliver products with purpose — products that support safer, healthier and more sustainable food choices. Products our customers can always trust.
Food safety is a non-negotiable priority at Bidcorp. We apply stringent quality control measures across our supply chain — from sourcing and manufacturing to storage, transport, and delivery — to uphold the highest standards of hygiene and product integrity.
Beyond safety and quality, we're committed to giving customers clear, relevant product information so they can make informed decisions — supporting the shift to a healthier, lower-impact and more resilient food system. These priorities were identified through our double materiality assessment, and they shape the way we source, develop and distribute products across the group.
- Food safety — maintaining rigorous standards so products are safe, fully traceable, and compliant with food safety and allergen requirements
- Nutrition — supporting healthier eating habits through product innovation, nutritional guidance and customer education
- Packaging — reducing environmental impact by increasing the use of recyclable, reusable and compostable formats
- Ethical sourcing — collaborating with suppliers that protect ecosystems, promote biodiversity, uphold animal welfare and follow responsible labour practices
- Carbon footprinting — advancing the measurement and reporting of product-related emissions to help guide more sustainable purchasing decisions
Food safety Food safety — our highest priority
Food safety is one of Bidcorp's top risk priorities and remains fundamental to our licence to operate. It's governed through rigorous local controls, internal assurance processes and executive oversight, with quarterly divisional audit and risk committee meetings monitoring incident logs, records of fines and penalties, and commentary on any material cases. Where concerns arise, our businesses act quickly to manage risks and communicate transparently with customers — and no significant food safety issues were reported during the year.
Bidcorp sources exclusively from suppliers that meet our food safety requirements and hold recognised certifications, including International Featured Standards (IFS) and Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards (BRCGS). In Italy, DAC conducts more than 100 tests annually on its branded products through an accredited external laboratory, verifying microbiological parameters and ensuring chemical compliance. Bidfood Czech Republic became the only company in the country to hold all three major fish and aquaculture certifications — MSC, ASC and GLOBALG.A.P. — giving customers assurance that seafood is sourced, processed and distributed through fully controlled, responsible supply chains.
We maintain strict allergen management practices across our supply chain. All allergens are clearly labelled in line with regulatory requirements, and our digital systems deliver real-time allergen data and automated labelling — enhancing compliance and reducing the potential for human error.
Nutrition and health Supporting customers' sustainable solutions
Global trends are pushing companies towards greater transparency, healthier product offerings and sustainable practices. Governments worldwide are tightening nutritional labelling rules, restricting harmful ingredients such as trans fats and sodium, while demand grows for plant-based and nutrient-dense foods.
Bidfood continually enhances its nutrition offering by collaborating with suppliers and reviewing product ranges — sourcing ingredients with lower salt, sugar, and saturated fat, while prioritising high-fibre, wholegrain, and plant-based options. In South Africa, The Crown Food Group reformulates spices, herbs, sauces, and condiments to reduce sugar, fat, and sodium while boosting nutritional value. In China, Angliss' Elle & Vire Finesse Light Cream — with 25% less fat — lets chefs create lighter dishes without compromising on taste or texture.
Bidfood UK CEO Andrew Selley has joined the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts' Food Industry Advisory Group, supporting the delivery of the UK government's obesity reduction policies, including the proposed Healthy Food Standard. Bidfood UK has also pledged to increase sales of beans, legumes and pulses by 30% by 2028 as part of the Food Foundation's Bang in Some Beans campaign, supporting healthier, more affordable diets. Bidfood Czech hosted a school lunch in Prague where Gastrostudio chefs created a fish-focused buffet for more than 700 children.
Packaging Innovating sustainable packaging
We aim to minimise plastic use but always prioritise food safety when alternatives are not suitable. Our teams continually explore innovative packaging solutions — including Bidfood UK's food-to-go packaging with a seaweed coating, offering grease and water resistance similar to plastic but fully home and industrial compostable. Yarde Farm went a step further, launching industrially compostable ice cream mini tubs — a first for the foodservice sector — certified under the TÜV Austria OK Compost Industrial scheme.
Bidfood Belgium hosted a workshop on packaging recyclability, providing employees with insights into the challenges of sorting materials and exploring ways to design packaging that is more sustainable from the outset.
Bidfood Netherlands, an early adopter of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, has set ambitious 2030 packaging targets — including eliminating non-recyclable plastic from Own Brand packaging and ensuring all Own Brand PET bottles are made from 100% recycled PET. Replacing plastic tubs with flexible pouches for nuts, seeds and dried fruit has already cut packaging material use by more than 90% on those lines.
Bidfood UK packaging commitments:
- Removing PVC and polystyrene; simplifying materials to PET, PP, and PE
- Making all Own Brand ready meal trays widely recyclable
- Cutting plastic content by 10% in 2025
- Switching bottled water to 50% recycled plastic
- Launching over 210 plastic-free or fully recyclable products
- Providing customer guides to support informed, sustainable choices
Ethical sourcing Ethical sourcing — driving sustainability and growth
A deep understanding of our supply chain is essential to ensuring that our operations do not support practices misaligned with our ethical values. Our supplier relationships are one of our biggest levers for positive change — through the Bidfood Procurement Community (BPC), group companies gain additional supplier assurance, ethical sourcing requirements and responsible procurement standards across internationally sourced products. We view responsible sourcing as a source of competitive advantage — by partnering with suppliers committed to positive impact, we offer consumers the sustainable choices they demand and create mutually beneficial outcomes across the value chain.
Bidfood UK was ranked sixth in Europe within the retail sector for its dedication to sustainable palm oil, and Bidcorp has been recognised as a top scorer in the RSPO Shared Responsibility Scorecard. Bidfood Netherlands is actively mapping its supply chain to ensure fair labour practices, with full mapping of five high-risk Own-Brand chains targeted by 2030. In the UK, Oliver Kay is working with its growers so that 100% of contracted British fresh produce growers are LEAF Marque certified by the end of the 2026 calendar year — covering soil health, crop protection, water management and community engagement.
Bidfood Singapore hosted its first Sustainable Seafood Forum in partnership with the MSC and ASC, helping chefs and foodservice operators understand certification standards and responsible sourcing expectations. In Spain, Bidfood showcased sustainably sourced bluefin tuna through a partnership with Balfegó, highlighting responsible fishing practices and full product traceability.
We also prioritise ethical treatment of animals, ensuring suppliers uphold high welfare standards based on the five freedoms — freedom from hunger, discomfort, pain and fear, and the ability to express natural behaviours. Bidfood UK and Bidfood Australia maintain modern slavery programmes aligned to their respective national legislation, covering supplier due diligence, risk assessments, employee training and ongoing monitoring. Bidfood UK also collaborated with a key customer this year to strengthen human rights due diligence across the UK food and drink supply chain, achieving full completion of its supplier assessments.
Innovation and scope 3 Driving innovation through tech-enabled sourcing
Product-related emissions account for approximately 90% to 95% of the group's carbon footprint, falling within scope 3 — emissions outside of our direct operational control. Bidcorp is enhancing transparency and accuracy through partnerships and digital tools.
CarbonCloud — Bidfood UK
- Product-level carbon footprints calculated using both generic and product-specific data
- Standardised lifecycle assessment methodology
- Working closely with suppliers to obtain more granular primary data, reducing reliance on industry-average estimates
- Systematic modelling, monitoring and reduction through active supplier collaboration
Sustainability Compass — Netherlands
- Launched November 2024 as "Duurzaamheidskompas"
- Detailed CO2 insights per product, covering lifecycle emissions from production and delivery
- Each delivery accompanied by a CO2 dashboard for the customer
- Empowers caterers to make data-driven, lower-carbon purchasing decisions
Open Doors — Innovation
- Bidfood UK's Open Doors programme supports emerging sustainable businesses
- Fairfields Farm — converts leftover crisp oil into biofuel and uses surplus crops to generate biogas
- Wildfarmed — produces nutrient-dense, climate-friendly wheat through regenerative farming
- Technology prioritised: regenerative farming and AI-driven soil analysis
Elsewhere in the group, DAC Italy launched the DAC Plant Lab Academy in partnership with Orogel Food Service, Dreamfarm Foods, Gruppo Felsineo, Beyond Meat and AltroFood, helping catering professionals develop plant-based meals and expand lower-carbon menu options. Bidfood Belgium published La transition protéique dans le Foodservice, an educational brochure helping customers navigate sustainable diets and protein diversification.
Customer empowerment Sustainability factsheets
To enhance stakeholder understanding of sustainability priorities within the foodservice sector, Bidfood UK has developed 24 comprehensive sustainability factsheets — providing a clear overview of critical issues, strategic initiatives, and actionable measures for customers.
Products we own. Margins we keep.
Own Brands — also known as home brands or private label products — are trademarked and owned by Bidcorp. They are developed, curated and quality-controlled by our local teams, then supplied exclusively through our operating businesses.
Unlike third-party branded products, Own Brand gives us full control over specification, pricing, and margin. It creates a product layer that no competitor can replicate — because these products exist only within the Bidcorp network.
Our Own Brand range spans everything from ambient staples and chilled proteins to specialist ingredients, packaging solutions, and premium chef-focused lines. Each product is developed with one goal: to serve our customers better than a mainstream branded alternative, at a price point that works for their business.
Own Brand now accounts for 24% of total group revenue — a figure that has grown consistently since listing, and one we continue to target higher.
Why Own Brand drives the business
Margin protection
Own Brand products deliver superior margins compared to third-party branded equivalents. By controlling the full specification and supply chain, we capture value that would otherwise flow to external brand owners. As more customers transition to our Own Brand range, group profitability improves structurally — not cyclically.
Customer stickiness
A customer who relies on our Own Brand products cannot simply switch distributor and maintain their menu. This creates meaningful switching costs and deepens the commercial relationship. Our "direct-to-chef" model is built around this — we work with chefs to develop products that become staples in their kitchens, making Bidfood indispensable rather than interchangeable.
Competitive differentiation
No other distributor sells our Own Brand products. This means our range is a source of genuine competitive advantage — something that commodity distributors cannot replicate simply by matching price. As Own Brand penetration grows, the distance between Bidfood and a generic delivery service widens. That gap is our moat.
Developed locally. Recognised by chefs.
Each operating business develops Own Brand ranges tailored to its local market — from premium chef lines to everyday value staples. These are some of the brands our customers rely on every day.
Bidfood UK
United Kingdom
Bidfood Australia
Australasia
Bidfood New Zealand
Australasia
Deli XL
Netherlands and Belgium
Nowaco
Czech Republic and Slovakia
Guzmán Gastronomía
Spain
Gruppo DAC
Italy
Simply Food Solutions
United Kingdom
Horeca Trade
UAE
Angliss
China and Hong Kong
Each brand is independently managed and locally relevant — united by Bidcorp's shared standards for quality, safety and sustainability.
Own Brand, responsibly sourced
Our Own Brand range is not just about commercial advantage — it is where our sustainability commitments become most visible and most controllable. Because we own the specification, we can mandate standards that third-party brands cannot always match.
- Top scorer in the RSPO Shared Responsibility Scorecard for sustainable palm oil sourcing
- All ready meal trays moving to widely recyclable materials — PVC and polystyrene eliminated
- Black plastics replaced with NIR-detectable alternatives for improved recycling
- 10% plastic reduction target across Own Brand packaging in 2025
- 50% recycled plastic in Own Brand bottled water ranges
- 210+ plastic-free or fully recyclable products launched
ESG
Our ESG story
How Bidcorp embeds People, Product, Planet, and Principles sustainability across 31 countries of operation.
ESG
People
Investing in our employees, building community relationships, and creating opportunities across 31 countries.
ESG
Planet
Our decarbonisation journey, renewable energy investments and steps to reduce Bidcorp's environmental footprint.