Oxfam: “Big 10” food and beverage companies fail people

PanARMENIAN.Net - The social and environmental policies of the world’s ten biggest food and beverage giants are not fit for modern purpose and need a major shake-up, says international agency Oxfam.

The “Big 10” food and beverage companies that together make $1 billion-a-day are failing millions of people in developing countries who supply land, labor, water and commodities needed to make their products.

Behind the Brands, part of Oxfam’s GROW campaign to fix the broken food system, for the first time ranks the agricultural policies, public commitments and supply chain oversight of Associated British Foods (ABF), Coca Cola, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé, Pepsico and Unilever.

ABF (19%), Kellogg’s (23%) and General Mills (23%) scored most poorly. They have weaker policies than Coca-Cola (41%), Unilever (49%) and Nestle (54%) for example.

“Some companies recognize the business case for sustainability and have made important commitments that deserve praise” said Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director for Oxfam International. “But none of the ten biggest food and beverage companies are moving fast enough to turn around a 100-year legacy of relying on cheap land and labor to make mass products at huge profits, with unacceptably high social and environmental costs. No company emerges with a good overall score. Across the board all ten companies need to do much more. ”