Ben Fogle: “Why the stories behind our food really matter for the future of our planet”

Perhaps it’s unsurprising that sustainability is a subject close to Ben Fogle’s heart. The presenter, writer and adventurer has, after all, travelled to some of the most remote and pristine places on Earth – places that we should really be doing our utmost to protect. “We all play a pivotal role in the future of our planet,” he says. “Thinking about sustainability is vital.” And yet, despite his globe-trotting escapades, Fogle’s interest lies in the changes we can make much closer to home, particularly when it comes to where and how we shop.

Food production has an impact, from carbon footprint to land use; from how food is farmed and processed to transportation and packaging. With such a lot at stake, it’s our responsibility as consumers to investigate where we’re spending our hard-earned cash, argues Fogle. “Our shopping choices do make a difference,” he says. “It’s super important that we know where our food comes from and how it is produced and understand the impact on the environment and people. Understanding the stories behind what we are buying is not just about the immediate benefits but also about protecting resources for future generations.”

It’s why the Accidental Adventurer author has teamed up with M&S Food as an Ambassador for its Plan A initiative. First introduced in 2007, this sustainability programme was designed to reduce the retailer’s impact on the planet. Today, it has evolved to focus on working towards becoming a net zero business across its entire supply chain by 2040.

There are the practical steps – M&S has removed more than 400 million pieces of plastic from its range of packaging, redistributed over 85 million meals via 3,000 Neighbourly local community partnerships, and paid more Fairtrade premium for tea and coffee than any other retailer.

Then there are the more experimental, forward-thinking solutions that will be vital in reaching the ambitious 2040 target. The M&S Plan A Net Zero Accelerator Fund, which the retailer launched to find innovation projects to enable rapid action towards net zero has supported a trial of autonomously farmed parsnips to reduce carbon and improve crop quality and quantity. The retailer also invested £1 million to support 40 farmers to reduce the amount of methane emitted by their cows as part of its Plan A roadmap to be net zero across the entire supply chain by 2040.

M&S has always been an innovator when it comes to stepping up to the sustainability challenge; it was the first national retailer to charge for single use plastic bags in 2008, and more recently swapped all chargeable bags from plastic to paper, removing over 55 million units of plastic.

It’s these seemingly small changes that he’s most impressed by: the way M&S became the first UK retailer to use FSC certified paper packaging on selected garlic baguettes, removing 5.5 million units of plastic from Foodhalls. Also, that M&S Café was the first to launch paper fibre cups and lids which are easily recyclable in paper recycling. He does of course always encourage people not to forget their reusable cup and get 50p off hot drinks in the Café!

But Fogle also gets excited by stories of empowerment and entrepreneurship. M&S’s A Cup of Ambition™ leadership training and development scheme, for example, empowers ambitious coffee growers. “I loved the story of one of the coffee growers in Peru, Kely, who invested in new equipment and doubled her beehives, growing her business and her family’s income,” he enthuses. “More bees mean more pollination for her coffee crop, helping Kely to increase her coffee harvest.” He also cites a story about coffee farmers in Brazil who used their Fairtrade Premium to install solar panels for their coffee production centre so it can run on clean energy. “Any extra energy is then used to power the local hospital and community,” says Fogle.

Becoming an Ambassador wasn’t only about sustainability though; Fogle’s relationship with M&S goes way back. “M&S is in my DNA, ever since I was young I have eaten M&S Food. In fact, on my expedition up Mount Everest, Percy Pigs were my power source!” he admits.

Ben concludes, “Taking the time to understand the values of the retailer you are shopping in, and the investment they are making to work in harmony with nature and protect the people they work with, reduce carbon and food waste is important. After all, we only have one planet.”