Food giants ‘failing to meet ethical standards’

The world’s largest food companies are failing to meet ethical standards, a report has warned.

Leading global brands such as Nestle, Mars and Coca-Cola are failing to ensure the well-being of the workers who produce their products and are continuing to profit from a broken system they should be helping to fix, the study by Oxfam claims.

The charity has compiled a Behind the Brands scorecard, which rates the “big 10” food companies in seven categories — the transparency of their supply chains and operations, how they ensure the rights of workers, how they protect women’s rights, the management of water and land use, their policies to reduce the impacts of climate change and how they ensure the rights of the farmers who grow their ingredients.

The company with the lowest score — just 13 out of 70 — was food giant Associated British Foods (ABF), owner of brands such as Kingsmill, Silverspoon and Ovaltine.

It scored just one mark out of 10 in its treatment of land, women and climate change, while the highest score it managed to achieve was three, in relation to workers and transparency.

In joint second lowest place were Kellogg’s and General Mills, which own Old El Paso, Haagen-Dazs and Nature Valley, with both scoring 16 out of 70.

Neither ABF nor Kellogg’s have addressed land rights concerns or the poverty and lack of opportunity for women working in the supply chain, while the latter company and General Mills show a lack of transparency in where they source their ingredients, only providing information on where they get their palm oil, Oxfam said.

The company to achieve the highest score was Nestle, with 38 marks.

Oxfam said that while all 10 companies have acknowledged the need for a more just food system and have made commitments to that end, they are still failing to take adequate steps.

While some, such as tea brand Twinings, were noted to have good policies in some areas these were not widespread, the charity claims.

Oxfam is calling on the public to use social media to put pressure on the food giants to improve their policies, and will today launch the Behind the Brands campaign in more than 12 countries including China and Brazil.