Firms urge forest action

London: Supermarkets, food manufacturers and restaurant chains under pressure from campaigners over their environmental impact urged

Britain yesterday to strengthen a plan to stop tropical forests from being cut down to grow cocoa, palm oil and soy.

Britain is drawing up legislation to force the sector to tighten oversight of its supply chains.

In an open letter, some 20 large companies welcomed the plans as a ‘‘step forward’’ but said ‘‘it’s not currently envisioned to be enough to halt deforestation and we encourage the Government to go further to . . . address this issue’’.

Signatories included supermarkets Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, food manufacturers Unilever, Nestle and Greencore Group, McDonald’s Corp and various livestock producers. — Reuters