Sainsbury may introduce a scorecard system that weighs up a new product’s potential environmental and ethical impacts, to determine whether or not to take it on board.
“We’re talking about a balance scorecard,” said head of corporate responsibility Jat Sahota. “For example, a product may have a high carbon footprint [because it is sourced from overseas], but it is also helping a developing country [because it is fairly traded], so it may score green. [The system] could be used in new product development (NPD) to decide whether or not we go ahead with something.”
Charles Banks, director of The Food People consultancy agreed a scoring system had merit, but added it might not always be suitable, as predicting a product’s potential is so subjective. “I think points systems are good because they add clarity as you are judging across a range of common criteria,” he said. “However, if you are experienced within the industry, sometimes you instinctively know that some things are going to work and it’s important not to lose the ability for gut feeling. After all, how many successful products on shelf currently would pass a points test?”
He said that it was hard to decide which issues matter to consumers the most and that different retailers have different opinions. “A manufacturer I visited recently was making two varieties of the same product for two major retailers. One was low in salt, while the other tasted superior. Who is to decide what is important for consumers?”