ESG in times of Pandemic – The Case of Sobeys

The fight against COVID-19 has seen border closures, trade disruptions and restrictions on foreign workers, putting unprecedented strain on the food supply chain, including in Canada, where we hear stories of dairy farmers dumping milk as restaurants closed and demand plummeted; restrictions on temporary foreign workers have dramatically impacted the production of everything from strawberries to seafood. John Uhren, Head, Sustainable Finance, Products and Strategy for Sustainable Finance at BMO, recently recorded an episode of Sustainability Leaders with Vittoria Varalli, Chief of Staff and VP for Sustainability at Canadian grocery chain Sobeys to discuss how COVID19 has disrupted food security and supply chains around the world. Varalli also discusses how here at home, even as the pandemic intensified the importance of essential services, Sobeys’ unwavering focus was on keeping its staff and customers safe and its store shelves stocked.