Giant Eagle has relaunched its private label brand, Nature’s Basket.
According to the Pennsylvania-based grocer, all items from the Nature’s Basket product line now feature “responsibly sourced,” “high-quality” ingredients.
The growth of products that make environmental, social, and governance (ESG) claims has been outpacing traditional products in recent years. Over a five-year period, products that claim ESG attributes have grown 28% vs. 20% traditional, according to the 2023 joint study from McKinsey and NielsenIQ.
Giant Eagle has partnered with an independent sustainability intelligence company, HowGood, to evaluate the environmental and social impact of each item in the Nature’s Basket line and provide a comprehensive sustainability rating.
“Through our Nature’s Basket brand, we’re excited to offer customers a reimagined product line with an enhanced focus on sustainability,” said Cara Mercil, director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Giant Eagle. “We’ve taken an innovative approach to strengthening the Nature’s Basket brand, both through our partnership with HowGood and our continued work to reduce waste through the development of product packaging that is more reusable, recyclable, and biodegradable.”
Products that achieve HowGood Ratings of Good, Great, and Best have an overall environmental and social sustainability impact that is better than more than 70, 85, and 95% of food products assessed by HowGood, respectively. Approximately 70% of Nature’s Basket items have received a HowGood Rating of Good, Great, or Best.
When building an online order, Giant Eagle customers can review the HowGood Ratings of Nature’s Basket items listed under “Product Details” on each product’s page. HowGood Ratings will also be featured on in-store signage to help customers find products that align with their preferences.
HowGood calculates product sustainability ratings using eight core impact metrics: greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, processing, water usage, labor risk, land use, soil health, and animal welfare.
Additionally, all Nature’s Basket-branded meat products have received third-party animal welfare certifications, according to Giant Eagle, and Nature’s Basket products containing plant-based ingredients are made exclusively with non-GMO ingredients. Organic products meet the standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for organic labeling, while natural foods adhere to or surpass the definition of natural food as defined by the USDA.
Giant Eagle, Inc. is based in O’Hara Township, Pa., and does about $11.4 billion in annual sales. The company has over 470 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.
