The CEO of symbol group retailer the Co-op has warned that the food industry needs to “unite and play a part” in addressing water scarcity among the poorest nations.
Writing in Retail Week, Shirine Khoury-Haq, said “access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is taken for granted by the rich but remains a pipedream for poorer nations”.
“The climate crisis is only widening this gap,” she said.
As a result, the CEO of Co-op, who is participating in COP27 Water Day today, is calling on businesses in the food industry to take action and understand the importance of water scarcity, as she claims that it is equally important to help customers understand the impact of products and services they buy on people and the planet.
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She said: “As an industry there is much work still to be done to ensure workers in our global supply chains and their families have access to safe sanitation facilities.
“Water security is one of the most tangible and immediate threats that the food industry faces as a result of the climate crisis, which is leading to more severe weather events and natural disasters impacting communities critical to food security.”
She added: “It’s important we recognise the link between how our food is produced and the lack of access to safe water and sanitation that blights so many lives.”
This comes as the Co-op announced it has surpassed £20 million in donations over 15 years to two water project charities, including The One Foundation and Water Unite.
However, the Co-op boss added that the need for emergency relief “is growing” and will only continue to increase with the advance of climate change.
“For too long access to water has been seen as separate from climate change but the two are inextricably linked — tackling water shortages has to be a fundamental part of the climate change response to mitigate rising temperatures and tackle inequalities,” she concluded.
