Food companies urge Britain to adopt tougher rules to protect tropical forests

Signatories included supermarkets Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Morrison's and Sainsbury's, food manufacturers Unilever, Nestle and Greencore Group, McDonald's Corp and various livestock producers.

LONDON: Supermarkets, food manufacturers and restaurant chains under pressure from campaigners over their environmental impact urged Britain on Monday to strengthen a plan to stop tropical forests from being cut down to grow cocoa, palm oil and soy.

With the food industry under growing scrutiny for its role in driving deforestation in countries such as Brazil and Indonesia, Britain is drawing up legislation to force the sector to tighten oversight of its supply chains.