Giant Eagle doubles down on sustainability with private-label relaunch

Giant Eagle’s private-label brand Nature’s Basket is getting an eco-friendly upgrade.

The regional grocer this week said it is working with an “independent sustainability intelligence company” to evaluate the environmental and social impact of each item in the line to determine a comprehensive sustainability rating.

“Nature’s Basket has been on shelves for more than a decade,” Cara Mercil, Giant Eagle’s director of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, said in an email response to WGB. “The Nature’s Basket brand wasn’t phased out but rather evolved. As Giant Eagle understands more about the interconnectedness of our food systems, it’s important that we change to respond to the growing demand for transparency regarding product environmental and social impact.”

Nature’s Basket is one of a half dozen Giant Eagle brands.

The private-label line is made with “responsibly sourced, quality ingredients” that are good for people and the planet, the grocer said on its website. Nature’s Basket products include all-natural meats, fresh and frozen organic fruit and vegetables, free-range eggs, organic pastas and grains, canned goods, organic milks and much more.

Giant Eagle said it has partnered with HowGood to develop a ratings system for Nature’s Basket products. Items that receive ratings of good, great and best and an overall environmental and social sustainability impact that is better than more than 70%, 85% and 95% of food products assessed by HowGood, respectively, Giant Eagle said.

Product sustainability ratings are based on eight metrics: greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, processing, water usage, labor risk, land use, soil health and animal welfare.

About 70% of the Nature’s Basket items have merited a good, great or best rating, the grocer noted.

Shoppers can review the HowGood ratings while building their online orders.

“We’re on a journey to make it easier for our customers to find food and information sources that fit their lifestyles—all in one place,” Mercil said. “Through the redefinition of our Nature’s Basket brand, we took a fresh look at our responsible sourcing and put new guardrails in place to set and elevated standard for products that carry the Nature’s Basket brand.”

Giant Eagle operates more than 470 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.