A damning new report has exposed the world’s largest food retailers for failing to tackle methane emissions hidden within their supply chains.

Research from the Changing Markets Foundation and Mighty Earth reveals that the top 20 global supermarkets, all based in the US and Europe, are drastically underperforming in reducing their methane footprint, with all but one scoring less than half the available points in an industry-wide assessment.

Despite methane being a “super-heater” greenhouse gas responsible for around a quarter of global warming to date, the new report titled “Clean Up In Aisle 3: The Methane Mess Supermarkets Are Hiding” shows that not a single retailer assessed has set a methane reduction target or reports its methane emissions.

Gemma Hoskins, Global Methane Lead at Mighty Earth, warned:

Food retailers are ignoring the methane problem hidden in the meat and dairy aisles and risk losing consumer trust. Methane is short-lived, so rapid cuts would be a win for climate and nature. Retailers are uniquely positioned to drive down agricultural methane emissions in their supply chains. That starts with being honest about the impact of the products they sell and working harder and faster to reduce that impact.”

Supermarket scorecard: a failing grade

The Methane Action Tracker Supermarket Scorecard

The assessment, conducted using the Methane Action Tracker, evaluated supermarkets on 18 key indicators, including emissions reporting, food waste reduction and support for plant-based protein alternatives. The results paint a worrying picture: 19 out of 20 major retailers failed to score above 50 out of 100, with an industry-wide average of just 20 points. The best performer, Tesco, barely scraped past the halfway mark with a score of 51.

The report found that American retailers performed especially poorly, with Costco and The Kroger Co. ranking among the worst. Meanwhile, European chains such as Leclerc, Intermarché, Rewe, Mercadona and Sainsbury’s also fell short, failing to report on their Scope 3 emissions — those generated throughout their supply chains — sufficiently or at all. In fact, only six of the retailers assessed reported on these emissions at all.

Methane, primarily emitted from livestock farming and food waste, is an outsized contributor to climate change. The UN Environment Programme’s Global Methane Assessment states that in order to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C, methane emissions must dro by 40-45 percent by 2030. Yet, the researchers suggest the retailers analysed are taking little to no action to cut their contributions.

Maddy Haughton-Boakes, Senior Campaigner at the Changing Markets Foundation, commented:

Methane emissions are a major blindspot of supermarkets. Our scorecard reveals a complete lack of action, with the most powerful players in the food supply chain completely ignoring their governments’ commitments to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. This must change urgently.”

Meat and Dairy: the elephant in the room

The report also highlights the outsized impact of animal agriculture, with meat and dairy responsible for nearly half of European supermarkets’ total emissions. Scope 3 emissions make up more than 90 percent of European retailers’ total carbon footprint.

One solution identified in the report is a transition to plant-based proteins, which could significantly reduce emissions. The research suggests that a 50 percent shift to plant-based protein sales from just six leading retailers could cut emissions equivalent to removing 25 million cars from EU roads. Yet, in their findings the researchers found few supermarkets are setting concrete targets to expand this market segment.

While the report states that Tesco, Carrefour, Schwarz Group (Lidl) and Ahold Delhaize have made commitments to grow plant-based sales, many including Casino, Costco, Kroger and Migros have reportedly yet to establish any formal targets.

What needs to change?

Changing Markets and Mighty Earth are calling on supermarkets to take immediate action to cut methane emissions. Their recommendations include:

1. Setting methane reduction targets in line with the Global Methane Pledge’s goal of a 30 percent reduction by 2030.
2. Publicly reporting methane emissions across supply chains to ensure transparency.
3. Developing robust climate plans to reduce methane from meat and dairy production.
4. Committing to a 60/40 protein split in favour of plant-based alternatives to curb agricultural emissions.

With methane reduction seen as a critical lever in halting runaway climate change, campaigners argue that supermarkets can no longer afford to ignore their role in the crisis.

Haughton-Boakes concluded:

Cutting methane this decade is our emergency brake on runaway global heating, yet retailers are barely pressing it. The companies that dominate our food system must step up now and take real action.”