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As one of New Zealand's leading grocery brands, we understand that every choice we make has an impact on people and our planet. We are committed to putting sustainability at the forefront of our sourcing decisions - without compromising the taste, integrity and affordability of our products.

It's important to us that our products are responsibly manufactured from start to finish - and that, when you buy Pams, you know that you are contributing to better outcomes for people and our planet.

When we say ‘responsibly’ we mean we aim to source from suppliers that meet our standards for protecting people, animal welfare, forests, and the ocean.

Read on to find out more about our approach to sourcing products and what we are doing to ensure that Pams products meet your standards and expectations.

Seafood

Overfishing has a significant impact on our ocean life and reduces the resilience of our ecosystems and access to fresh and affordable seafood. With our Responsible Seafood Policy, we are committed to working with our seafood suppliers and fisheries to improve standards. We only source products from suppliers and manufacturers that are dedicated to long-term conservation of marine life.

Working with leading organisations such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), we are committed to following current global best practice to verify that Pams Seafood is sourced responsibly and sustainably. 

Pams canned tuna, sardine and salmon are MSC certified, and we’re proud to have been the first retailer in New Zealand and Australia to achieve this certification across our range! In 2024, MSC recognized us with the ‘Trailblazer’ Award for making sustainable canned tuna more accessible and driving positive change.
We have committed that by the end of 2025 all of Pams seafood products will be sourced according to our Responsible Seafood Policy. As of the 31st March 2024, 89% of our wild-caught seafood and 70% of our farmed seafood complies with our policy.

 

Animal welfare

We are committed to working with our suppliers to ensure that all Pams animal products are produced in accordance with best practice animal welfare requirements, such as supporting the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare (FAWC, 2009) which include:

  • Freedom from hunger or thirst,

  • Freedom from discomfort,

  • Freedom from pain, injury, or disease,

  • Freedom to express most normal behaviour, and

  • Freedom from fear and distress.

All local suppliers agree to meet regulatory requirements including New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act and MPI Codes of Welfare - however this is just the beginning of our journey, and we are working on a suite of animal welfare standards that build on this base. The first is our Animal Welfare Policy for Cage Free Eggs, which focuses on the wellbeing of layer hens. We will look to expand our Animal Welfare policy to other species such as meat chickens, pigs, beef, and lamb.

 

Eggs

We are committed to working with suppliers to ensure that Pams eggs, and eggs used as ingredients in Pams products, meet key animal welfare requirements and are independently verified as cage-free. By cage-free, we mean that the birds are raised in barns or as free range. You can also check the origin of our free-range eggs using Trace My Egg.

All Pams whole shell eggs are already cage free, and it is our goal that, by the end of 2025, all Pams products, using eggs as an ingredient1 will come from cage-free farms. As of the 31st March 2024, 52% of our products containing egg are cage-free.

Our Barn eggs are all SPCA Certified. SPCA Certified farms meet high standards of animal welfare. For layer hens, it means they have litter in which to scratch and dust bathe, space to flap their wings, stretch and socialise, nests in which to lay their eggs, and adequate perching space.

Look out for the SPCA Certified blue badge in store.

Timber and Bamboo based Products

While paper products are often seen as a sustainable alternative to plastics, these also need to be carefully sourced to reduce the impact of deforestation and maintain our precious ecosystems.

Our goal is that by the end of 2025 all Pams products using timber and bamboo-based materials are sourced according to the Responsible Timber, Bamboo, Pulp and Paper Policy.

 

Palm oil

Palm oil is widely used in both food and non-food products such as dishwashing detergent. It is valued for its versatility, taste, texture, shelf life and is also the highest yielding vegetable oil crop, which means it is very efficient to grow. Despite such benefits, irresponsible production practices have caused harm to people and the environment.

We are a member of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a not-for-profit organisation who ensure that certified palm oil is produced against a set of environmental and social criteria. We require all our suppliers to provide evidence that, where palm oil is used, it is RSPO certified.

100% of Pams products support the production of sustainable palm oil.

 

 

Cocoa, Tea, Coffee and Sugar

When cocoa, tea, coffee and sugar crops are not responsibly produced, they can contribute to nature loss, climate change, and human rights abuses. To limit our risk of contributing to these issues we have launched our Cocoa, Tea, Coffee and Sugar position statement which sets out our sourcing preferences and commitment to certified sources such as Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade International.

We are proud to say our Pams Tea Bags, Instant Coffee and Drinking Chocolate are all Rainforest Alliance certified.

 

Organics

Most of Pams organic products are independently certified by BioGro and a small portion are certified by EU Organic. BioGro is a leading New Zealand certifier for organic produce and products. Look for the Biogro certification logo on our organic and products.

 

Local and international sourcing

As Kiwis ourselves, we strive to source our ingredients from local suppliers and support New Zealand businesses wherever possible. We prioritise supply from New Zealand-owned and operated businesses where possible. In fact, on average, 68% of Pams products are locally sourced from New Zealand.

Sometimes, however, we do have to source products and ingredients from overseas so that we can continue to offer our customers products they love and trust at a reasonable price.

This can be due to a number of reasons: supply, demand, manufacturing capabilities, and cost of the product are just a few of the factors that Pams must consider ensuring our products meet your expectations and that our prices remain affordable.

Products imported from overseas must meet the requirements set by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). All products manufactured for Pams are made to set specifications which are set by Foodstuffs Own Brands Limited.

 

 

1 Where over 1% of the product’s total formulation