For the first time, the report introduces a new on-pack initiative aimed at familiarizing consumers with the real British farmers growing Weetabix wheat. In October, the company changed the slogan on its Weetabix Original boxes from ‘Britain’s favourite cereal’ to ‘Grown from 100% British Wheat’ sourced within a 50-mile radius of its Northamptonshire factory. This change was inspired by consumer testing that showed choosing British-grown wheat is a key factor driving many to purchase Weetabix.
On the back of packs, Weetabix is now profiling some of its Growers Group farmers. Consumers can scan a QR code to learn more about the journey their cereal makes from the field to the spoon, via an easily accessible and interactive traceability microsite. By refreshing its packaging in this way, the company is seeking to make consumers more aware that buying Weetabix is a great way to support British farming and sustainable wheat production.
According to John Petre, supply chain, procurement & technical director at the Weetabix Food Company, “We know this has been another challenging year for everyone, as cost of living pressures continue to affect many aspects of life. But we also know progress on sustainability remains important to all our stakeholders, from colleagues and farmers through to consumers and local communities. This is why we are focused on providing tasty and nutritious products that help nourish the nation in a sustainable way.”
After achieving the milestone of making 100% of its packaging widely recyclable earlier this year, Weetabix has set its sights on reducing the carbon footprint of its packaging. For example, increasing the recycled content of Weetabix On The Go bottles to 51% has reduced their carbon footprint by 8%. Similarly, reducing the thickness of the board used to make its cereal cartons has achieved up to 20% footprint reduction across the range. Weetabix has also reduced the weight of plastics in its drinks bottle by 15%, inner cereal carton bags by 9%, and Alpen plastic packs by 4%. By making these configurations since 2020, the company has reduced carbon emissions by 9.2% as a sales weighted average across all the packaging materials used.
As cost of living pressures continue to make life challenging for many families across the UK, Weetabix remains committed to supporting those who face hardship and food poverty through its work with Grocery Aid, Magic Breakfast, and FareShare. In 2023, it donated over 3 million breakfasts to those in need through these partnerships.
