Abel & Cole

How ethical is Abel & Cole?

Abel & Cole is a recipe box and organic food delivery service which has fallen below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark on our Ethical Recipe Boxes Ratings Table. Abel & Cole’s below-benchmark performance is driven by poor ratings for packaging and irresponsible marketing, though the gap to the benchmark is narrow.

What does Abel & Cole do?

Abel & Cole was founded in 1988 and is one of the UK’s longest-established organic food delivery services. The company delivers organic and sustainable groceries, vegetable boxes, recipe boxes, meat, fish, and dairy products to tens of thousands of homes across the UK each week, sourcing directly from farmers and producers. Abel & Cole is owned by William Jackson & Son Ltd, a Hull-based family food business with roots dating to 1851, whose portfolio also includes Jacksons Bakery, Wellocks, and Belazu.

Why does Abel & Cole fall below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s benchmark?

Abel & Cole’s below-benchmark performance is driven by poor ratings for packaging and irresponsible marketing. The poor packaging rating is a consideration for a home delivery service dispatching thousands of orders weekly — strengthening packaging standards would address this gap. The poor irresponsible marketing rating is worth noting for a brand whose identity is built around organic and sustainable food, though it represents a targeted area for improvement rather than a broader pattern of ethical concern.

Abel & Cole’s ratings for vegetarian and vegan verification and public record criticisms are both acceptable rather than good, indicating further room for improvement across product certification and documented conduct.

Abel & Cole performs well across a wide range of criteria, achieving good ratings for environmental reporting, genetic modification, organic ingredients, fossil fuels, transportation, animal welfare, armaments, and political donations. The brand has also achieved recognition as an Ethical Innovator, reflecting its pioneering role in organic home food delivery — a genuine strength for a brand of this heritage. The gap to the benchmark is narrow, and targeted improvements to packaging and marketing practices would bring Abel & Cole above the threshold.

Consumers seeking recipe box and organic food delivery services that meet The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark are encouraged to consult our Ethical Recipe Boxes Ratings Table and our guide to ethical recipe boxes, and seek out brands that hold The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation. Our how we rate page explains the criteria used to assess all brands in this sector.