Chairmans Statement

As Chairman of EFG I have a reputation in the industry for thinking outside the box, acting boldly and sometimes in ways that might seem contrary to EFG’s economic intersts but I do really think that this serves our customers well. In truth I have often been at variance with the industry in important areas, most especially in the areas of ethical trading and corporate responsibility, to the extent that I have refused to make EFG as profitable as it could have been. Fortunately my shareholders think much the same way on this. I hope you will find it refreshing that we are not commercially ruthless with our customers and that we seek also to serve the communities we are part of.

EFG provides employment for more than 50 people in Hackney, one of London’s poorest boroughs, and more than 20 in Baldock, Hertfordshire. In the wider setting we give back to our community by sponsoring a local Athletics club, Enfield and Haringey AC with which I have been personally associated for over 35 years.

As for our wider still responsibility: to leave the world as we found it or better when we pass it to the next generation – that is my main ambition now. Among my peer group I risk being mocked. So be it. I am convinced that pushing for real environmental improvement is actually a major ‘plus’ for all our customers. I am determined that in choosing EFG you are also choosing an ecologically better way.

We have had an eco-audit giving us real goals to work towards to reduce our carbon footprint. Our company electricity supply is from wholly renewable sources (Good Energy Ltd) and we recycle the large amounts of plastic and cardboard thet everything comes wrapped in these days. Waste Cooking Oil is collected from customers and reprocessed into biodiesel. At our trade exhibition last year we ran seminars on ‘Greening your Business’ which surprised some but were really well received.

I hope that you are looking for a foodservice supplier like EFG where in a strange way the aim is to be ‘smaller’ not larger, more world-better than world-beater. Thank you!

Michael Spinks