KnowTheChain - Food and beverage company disclosure
KnowTheChain - a partnership between Humanity United, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Sustainalytics, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and Verite - benchmarked companies on their actions to address forced labour in their supply chains.
In 2016, a KnowTheChain published its first set of benchmarks focusing in the information and communications technology, food and beverage, and apparel and footwear sectors.
In 2018, KnowTheChain will publish the second round of the benchmarks.
Company engagement and disclosure
In 2016, KnowTheChain benchmarked 20 companies in the food and beverage sector. Ahead of benchmark publication, we had invited companies to response to a set of engagement questions that correspond to the benchmark methodology.
In 2018, we have benchmarked 38 food and beverage companies. To reduce the reporting burden for companies, ahead of the 2018 benchmarks, we asked companies to respond to 2-3 questions to point us in the direction of relevant disclosure. Further, we provided companies an opportunity to review the initial research findings, and to provide additional disclosure for indicators where disclosure was missing.
The company disclosures are made publicly available below.
Company name |
2016 Disclosure |
2018 Disclosure |
Ahold Delhaize (Netherlands) |
[Not included] |
Responded, and provided updated response |
Almarai (Saudi Arabia) |
[Not included] |
No response |
Archer Daniels Midland (United States) |
No response |
Sent link to H2-2017 Human Rights Progress Report |
Associated British Foods (United Kingdom) |
||
BRF (Brazil) |
Provided links to this report, these guidelines, this webpage |
No response |
Campbell Soup (United States) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure and further information |
Carrefour (France) |
[Not included] |
|
Coca-Cola (United States) |
Responded and provided additional disclosure, and further information |
|
Coca-Cola European Partners (United Kingdom) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure, and further updates |
Conagra (United States) |
Provided link to citizenship report |
No response |
Costco (United States) |
[Not included] |
Disclosure regarding UK modern slavery statement |
Danone (France) |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
|
FEMSA (Mexico) |
No response* |
No response |
General Mills (United States) |
Provided links to this report, this policy, and this statement |
Provided additional disclosure |
Hershey's (United States) |
||
Hormel (United States) |
[Not included] |
No response |
Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group |
[Not included] |
No response |
JBS (Brazil) |
Sent link |
|
Kellogg (United States) |
Provided links to this webpage and this webpage |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
Kerry Group (Ireland) |
[Not included] |
Provided additional disclosure |
Kraft Heinz (United States) |
Submitted this statement* |
Pointed to its corporate website and CSR report, and provided additional disclosure |
Kroger (United States) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided links to its 2016 Sustainability Report, 2017 Sustainability Report, and Statement of Human Rights |
Loblaw Companies (Canada) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
Lindt & Sprüngli (Switzerland) |
[Not included] |
|
Mead Johnson, now Reckitt Benckiser (United States) |
[Not included] |
|
Mondelez International (United States) |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
|
Monster Beverage (United States) |
No response |
Provided additional disclosure |
Nestlé (Switzerland) |
||
PepsiCo (United States) |
Provided this link* |
Provided additional disclosure |
Smucker’s (United States) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure. Also disclosed translations of its * Global Supplier Code (Spanish, French, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Chinese) |
Suntory Beverage & Food Limited (Japan) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
Tesco (United Kingdom) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
Tyson Foods (United States) |
No response |
Provided additional disclosure |
Unilever (United Kingdom) |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
|
Walmart (United States) |
[Not included] |
Responded and sent link to 2018 Global Responsibility Report Summary** |
Wesfarmers (Coles) (Australia) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure. Also provided several links: As well as documents of Coles: Ethical Sourcing Policy (English and Mandarin), Responsible and Ethical Sourcing section, Brand Charter |
WH Group (Hong Kong) |
[Not included] |
No response |
Wilmar (Singapore) |
Responded and provided additional disclosure, and further information |
|
Woolworths (Australia) |
[Not included] |
Responded and provided additional disclosure |
Human rights impacts (note the following information is not included in the benchmark analysis): In addition to providing companies' responses to the disclosure questions, we also provide for users’ reference a link to the company section on Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s website. These company sections include news and reports about the company’s human rights impacts around the world, covering positive actions and instances of alleged misconduct as well as company responses to incidents (where they provided one). Please click on the company names listed on the left hand side under "Related companies". For further details on our model of change see here.
** Note the 2018 benchmark includes information published as of June 2018, or through August 2018 where companies provided additional disclosure or links. Some companies have since published relevant information. For example:
- Walmart - Human Rights policy (Nov 2018)
* Note the 2016 benchmark includes information published as of June 2016. Some companies have since published relevant information. For example:
- Associated British Foods - Statement under the UK Mondern Slavery Act (Nov16) and responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing (May17)
- Coca-Cola - responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing (May17)
- FEMSA - responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing (May17)
- Hershey - responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing (May17)
- Kraft Heinz - Statement under the UK Modern Slavery Act (Sep16)
- Mondelez International - responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing (May17)
- Nestlé - Statement under the UK Modern Slavery Act (Nestle UK) (Sep16), responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing and sent Labour Rights in Agriculture Roadmap (May17)
- PepsiCo - responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing (May17)
- Unilever - Statement under the UK Modern Slavery Act (Jan17)
- Wilmar - 2015 Sustainability Report; Action Plan to Address Labour Concerns in North Sumatra (Apr17), responded to questionnaire on addressing forced labor in sugarcane sourcing and published sugar supplier list (May17)
Two companies had made their statement under the UK Modern Slavery Act public during or before the 2016 research period: General Mills (May16) and Kellogg (May16).
Related stories and components
KnowTheChain: Ranking of 38 food and beverage companies on efforts to address forced labour in supply chains
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Mondelēz International response to KnowTheChain engagement questions
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Nestle response to KnowTheChain engagement questions
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Unilever
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Unilever response to KnowTheChain engagement questions
Author: Unilever
KnowTheChain invited 20 food and beverage companies to respond to engagement questions about their policies and processes on supply chain forced labour: the responses are considered in the evaluation of each company for the KnowTheChain benchmark,...
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Hershey response to KnowTheChain engagement questions
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JBS response to KnowTheChain engagement questions
Author: JBS
KnowTheChain invited 20 food and beverage companies to respond to engagement questions about their policies and processes on supply chain forced labour: the responses are considered in the evaluation of each company for the KnowTheChain benchmark,...
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ABF provided additional disclosure to KnowTheChain: Draft slavery and human trafficking statement
Author: ABF
KnowTheChain invited 20 food and beverage companies to respond to engagement questions about their policies and processes on supply chain forced labour: the responses are considered in the evaluation of each company for the KnowTheChain benchmark,...
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