Through their strong buying power and dual role as both buyer and provider to end consumers, supermarkets exert a major influence over the global food supply chain.

Although most supermarkets continue to source third party brands, due to private label production, the role of supermarkets is changing: Increasingly, retailers do not act as mere traders, but become brands in their own right, with offerings ranging from discounting to premium labels across a huge range of categories.

Both ecological and social standards for these private brands vary greatly and provide little navigation to consumers on responsible choice. However, with 40% private label production in EU supermarket shelves, this product category has a great potential to positively impact the growing challenges of fairer and more sustainable consumption and production patterns. This is the leverage point of the EU-funded SUPPLY CHA!NGE project.