Tesco: A basket of problems for the Amazon

An investigation by Mighty Earth, Repórter Brasil, and Ecostorm found that Tesco's UK meat products are linked to illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The report traces soy from the Santa Ana farm in Mato Grosso, which used illegal fires to clear 400 hectares of forest in 2022, through Cargill's logistics network to UK suppliers Avara and Pilgrim's UK. The authors argue that Cargill's monitoring systems are flawed, allowing 'grain laundering' where illegal soy is mixed with legal crops. Despite public pledges to be deforestation-free by 2025, Tesco continues to source heavily from Cargill, which has a 2030 target. The report also criticizes proposed UK due diligence legislation for failing to cover 'legal' deforestation, potentially making the UK a leakage market for soy that does not meet EU standards.

• Chicken and pork products sold in Tesco UK stores are linked to illegal deforestation and forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon, breaching the Amazon Soy Moratorium and Brazilian laws.
• Satellite imagery and field investigations at the Santa Ana farm in Mato Grosso, Brazil, revealed 635 hectares of deforestation, including 400 hectares burned in September 2022, which is equivalent to over 560 Wembley football pitches and the loss of more than 220,000 trees.
• The report identifies 'grain laundering' or 'triangulation' in the supply chain, where illegally grown soy from embargoed areas is mixed with legally grown soy, making it difficult to trace and allowing traders like Cargill to continue purchasing from the Lucion family despite restrictions.
• Cargill dominates the UK soy market, with 70 per cent of soy exports from Brazil to the UK supplied by the company, and 75 per cent of its exports to Liverpool originating from the port of Santarém.
• Tesco's claim to achieve 100 per cent deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) soy by 2025 is described as disingenuous because its largest soy supplier, Cargill, has a target date of 2030.
• Tesco's soy footprint is poorly traced, with 64 per cent (262,602 tonnes) of its 2021 soy footprint listed as 'not yet attributable'.
• The UK's proposed due diligence requirements under the Environment Act 2021 are criticized for not encompassing 'legal' deforestation, which differs from the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and may lead to the UK becoming a 'leakage market'.
• The report links Tesco's supply chain to Avara Foods (poultry) and Pilgrim's UK (pork), both of which use soy-based feed linked to Cargill.

APA

Mighty Earth (2023). Tesco: A basket of problems for the Amazon. https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/MET2314_Report_6-2_FNL.pdf

Chicago

Mighty Earth. Tesco: A basket of problems for the Amazon. 2023. https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/MET2314_Report_6-2_FNL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Mighty Earth |title=Tesco: A basket of problems for the Amazon |date=April 2023 |url=https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/MET2314_Report_6-2_FNL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mightyearth2023tesco, author = {{Mighty Earth}}, title = {{Tesco: A basket of problems for the Amazon}}, institution = {Mighty Earth}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://www.mightyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/MET2314_Report_6-2_FNL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }