What are the material issues the company has identified?            

In its 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Vion identified a range of material issues, such as traceability and product integrity, animal welfare, fair pricing, working conditions, carbon footprint of processing. Among these, promoting food safety stands out as a key material issue for Vion.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards              

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Vion engages with:

To identify and prioritise material topics Vion engaged with its stakeholders through the following channels:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement (in 2019)
Consumers	·      Yearly Food Service Consumer Trend Analysis ·      Questions and remarks from consumers; each remark from a consumer is answered personally
Customers	·      Ad hoc direct talks by the Sales and Quality Assurance Departments ·      Biennial Client Satisfaction Analysis
Suppliers	·      Ad hoc dialogues by the Purchasing and Quality Assurance Departments ·      Workshops ·      Annual meetings of farmer’s associations ·      Events for suppliers ·      Lectures at producer meetings ·      Guided plant tours for suppliers
Farmer associations	·      Ad hoc bilateral meetings ·      Yearly sector meetings ·      Yearly farmers’ association supervisory boards ·      Presentations at annual meetings
Financial stakeholders	·      Ad hoc direct talks by the board ·      Quarterly supervisory board meetings
Public authorities	·      Ad hoc direct talks by the Public Affairs and Quality Assurance Departments and the Line Management ·      Engagement in Topsector Agri & Food, as well as round table discussions on other specific projects and dialogues ·      Yearly benchmark on the CSR in the Netherlands
Round table groups	·      Round table meetings and technical advisory group meetings ·      Member of the Steering Committees
NGOs	·      Ad hoc direct talks, council or round table discussions with some NGOs ·      Collaboration in the European Animal Welfare Platform
Workers and works councils	·      Frequent (at least) monthly informal meetings ·      Annual performance planning and review meetings ·      Town hall meetings ·      Annual Top 150 management meetings
Trade unions	·      Frequent (at least monthly) informal meetings ·      Quarterly formal meetings ·      Collective bargaining agreements ·      FNLI Taskforce Human Capital Agenda Food
Trade organisations	·      Membership on the Board of COV, VDF and BGN ·      Membership on the Board of FNLI and Innofood Twente ·      Member of CoViVa
Competitors	·      Ad hoc or in trade organisations ·      SAI Platform
Certifications schemes	·      Yearly audits ·      Direct membership in the governing bodies or technical advisory groups of a number of certification schemes ·      Chair of the Dutch mirror group NEN-ISO for Animal Welfare ·      Member of the Board of GlobalGAP and IFS
Science	·      Ad hoc direct talks ·      Joint research projects ·      Scientific publications ·      Diplomats and residents of ECVPH ·      Member of the Editorial Board VMT / Food Safety
Media	·      Yearly congress and workshops ·      Regular meetings and open communication ·      Proactive dialogues and messaging ·      Daily answering of media requests ·      Member of the jury
Neighbours	·      Open days in the case of (re)new(ed) production sites ·      Formal dialogues in the case of specific enlargement approval procedures ·      Meetings with sounding board of neighbours

What actions were taken by Vion to promote food safety?

In its 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Vion reports that it took the following actions for promoting food safety:

• Promoting research into the potential of modern technologies in microbiology
• Vion cooperates with several academia and other scientific groups, e.g. with Freie Universität Berlin, Wageningen University (WUR), Utrecht University, Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) and IBM. For example, Vion works with IBM and WUR on the topic of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and microbiome analyses. This project offers insight into how groups of bacteria live together in biofilms, and whether they form or prevent an ideal environment for harmful bacteria such as Listeria or Salmonella. All sampling occurred at Vion Boxtel during 2018 and 2019. Analyses were carried out with so-called next-generation sequencing techniques.

• Combatting Listeria and Toxoplasma
• Vion recognises Listeria as a relevant food safety hazard. This means that products and the production environment are routinely monitored for the presence of Listeria. Ready-to-eat foods in which Listeria can multiply are subjected to a so-called negative release programme: multiple samples of the product are taken from each batch and screened for the presence of Listeria. The batch is released only when the bacterium is not detected in these samples. For a number of years, Vion has also cooperated with Wageningen University and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) on toxoplasma. The research showed that only a few farms face a challenge in controlling toxoplasma infections in their pigs. Using an intervention study on these farms, the prevalence of toxoplasma was reduced. Biosecurity is one of the key elements in the control strategy of toxoplasma, e.g. stray cats that enter the farm are considered a relevant risk. On other farms, the hygienic storage of feed paid extra attention to keeping cats and rodents out.

• Decreasing exposure to hepatitis E
• A few years ago, Vion and other meat industry partners showed how to control hepatitis E virus in meat products with the aim of reducing foodborne risks. Not processing pork liver into raw fermented products was shown to substantially effect humans’ exposure to hepatitis E. In January 2019, Vion began a scientific research project together with Utrecht University, Wageningen University and seven supply chain partners. A PhD student studied the possibilities of controlling the virus on pig farms, with the aim of reducing the infectivity of pigs at slaughter and to reduce the associated public health risks. By taking control measures at the farm, Vion also tackles other transmission routes, including direct contact with pigs and environmental transmission. The results of this project are expected in 2022.

• Reducing the salt content of meat products and bacon
• For several years, Vion has had an ongoing strategy to reduce the salt content and especially the nitrite concentration of its meat products and bacon. Vion lowered the salt content in its consumer products, such as cooked ham and bacon, by between 10% and 50% during recent years. Concerning bacon, Vion is participating in a project which aims to reduce the added nitrate content from 150 particles per million (ppm) to 15 ppm, without compromising food safety.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 416-1 Assessment of the health and safety impacts of product and service categories

Disclosure 416-1 Assessment of the health and safety impacts of product and service categories does not correspond to any SDG.

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.
References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Vion, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Vion: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2019 Global Responsibility Report General Mills identified a range of material issues, such as climate change, human rights, responsible sourcing, employee health, safety and well-being, responsible marketing. Among these, promoting food safety stands out as a key material issue for General Mills.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards              

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups General Mills engages with:

Stakeholder Group

Suppliers

Customers

Consumers

Employees

Investors

Regulators and public policymakers

Communities

NGOs

Industry associations

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics General Mills created and distributed a materiality assessment survey to both internal and external stakeholders, including academics, consultants, customers, investors, nongovernmental organisations and suppliers.

What actions were taken by General Mills to promote food safety?

In its 2019 Global Responsibility Report General Mills reports that it took the following actions for promoting food safety:

• Implementing food safety systems
• General Mills’ global food safety systems focus on prevention, intervention and response, and include:
  • Processes: Food safety is integrated into all General Mills’ processes, beginning with R&D (research and development) and extending across its supply chain.
  • Risk mitigation: General Mills conducts internal risk-based surveillance and food safety testing at all its facilities to identify and prioritise specific areas of risk.
  • Audits: General Mills’ Global Internal Audit team periodically audits the effectiveness and efficiency of food safety controls and operating procedures. Results are reported to the company’s Global Governance Council and Board of Directors.
  • Traceability: General Mills’ inventory control and supplier management systems include the ability to trace the sources of ingredients, which is key to isolating risks in the event of food safety concerns. General Mills evaluates suppliers’ systems, to make sure they meet its traceability requirements.

• Providing food safety training
• General Mills provides food safety training through its global centres of excellence and online training academy. In fiscal 2018:
  • The General Mills food safety team included more than 400 trained quality professionals.
  • General Mills conducted Auditor Academy training sessions attended by 25 participants from two countries. These sessions help improve General Mills’ ability to identify and fix issues, as well as prevent food safety problems from occurring.
  • General Mills provided food safety training to more than 3,500 professionals across its supply chain.

• Applying a Food Safety and Regulatory Policy
• Governance of General Mills’ food safety and regulatory matters begins with a corporate Food Safety and Regulatory Policy signed by its Chief Executive Officer. This corporate policy is supported by 18 detailed policies with accompanying standards and guidance documents. These global policies cover a broad range of food safety areas, including regulatory compliance, trace and recall, labelling, claims, physical, chemical and biological hazards, transportation, and good manufacturing practices and sanitation.

• Conducting product recalls when appropriate
• When General Mills learns about illnesses that may be linked to its products, it takes quick action. General Mills collaborates with health officials to investigate the situation, communicate with consumers and issue voluntary product recalls to remove affected products from store shelves, when appropriate. General Mills conducted five voluntary product recalls globally in fiscal 2018 (compared to nine in fiscal 2017), including recalls of snack bars, cereal, yogurt, and fat and tallow products.

• Auditing and training suppliers
• To help ensure the safety of the raw materials (ingredients and packaging) it uses in its products, General Mills continues to expand the number of supplier and co-producer audits it conducts globally. General Mills performs direct audits and also encourages third-party audits and/or certification, such as through GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative), as an additional preventive control measure. In 2018, 836 supplier and 98 co-producer audits were conducted. Additionally, General Mills carries out supplier training in classroom settings tailored to the needs of each market. The seminars address topics such as biological and physical hazard controls, allergen management and production facility sanitisation. In 2018, over 300 suppliers were trained through supplier schools and webinars.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 416-1 Assessment of the health and safety impacts of product and service categories

2) Disclosure 416-2 Incidents of non-compliance concerning the health and safety impacts of products and services

 

Disclosure 416-1 Assessment of the health and safety impacts of product and service categories does not correspond to any SDG.

Disclosure 416-2 Incidents of non-compliance concerning the health and safety impacts of products and services corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
• Business theme: Compliance with laws and regulations

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by General Mills, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to General Mills: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report Campbell identified a range of material issues, such as transparency, responsible sourcing, health, nutrition and wellness, sustainable agriculture, community involvement and food access, business ethics, occupational health and safety, diversity and inclusion. Among these, promoting food safety and quality stands out as a key material issue for Campbell.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The organization should identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Campbell engages with:   

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Advocacy Groups & NGOs	·         Organizational Memberships ·         Direct Engagement ·         Strategic Issue Partnerships ·         Professional Conferences ·         Roundtable Events ·         Social Media
Communities	·         Direct, On-the-Ground Relationships ·         Corporate & Employee Giving ·         Networking Events ·         Surveys ·         Signature Partnerships ·         Regional Priority Plans ·         Employee Volunteers ·         Newsletter
Consumers	·         Dedicated 24 Hour Toll-Free Hotline ·         Consumer Insights ·         Branded Websites ·         Campbell’s Kitchen Website ·         Campbell’s Nutrition Website ·         What’s in My Food Website ·         Social Media
Customers	·         Dedicated Customer Teams ·         Top-to-Top Customer Meetings ·         Customer Surveys ·         Industry Trade Groups (such as FMI, GMA and Consumer Goods Forum)
Employees	·         Quarterly Employee Forums ·         Town Hall Meetings ·         Business Resource Affinity Networks ·         Interactive Corporate Intranet Sites ·         Anonymous Hotline
Investors	·         Meetings with Institutional and Socially Responsible Investors ·         Direct Engagement on Specific Topics of Interest ·         Ratings/Rankings & Indices ·         Annual Report ·         Annual Shareholder Meetings ·         Investor Calls and Forums
Suppliers	·         Collaborative Partnerships ·         Supplier Code of Conduct ·         Supplier Scorecards ·         Face-to-Face Meetings ·         Supplier Diversity Initiatives ·         Surveys ·         Assessments & Audits
Regulators and Policymakers	·         Campbell Political Action Committee ·         Direct Engagement on Issues Important to Campbell ·         Advocacy ·         Significant Monitoring and Communication of Regulatory Activities

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify material issues, Campbell conducted a survey among employees, NGOs, suppliers, community partners, investors, customers (retailers), government or regulatory agencies, consumers and trade organizations, collecting feedback from over 1,250 participants. In addition, more than 70 post-survey interviews were carried out, with both employees and external stakeholders, to prioritize and look further into Campbell’s material issues.

What actions were taken by Campbell to promote food safety and quality?

In its 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report Campbell reports that it took the following actions to promote food safety and quality:

• Closely monitoring product safety throughout the entire value chain
• [tweetthis]Campbell monitors product safety throughout its whole value chain[/tweetthis], from the moment ingredients are harvested on the farm, to the moment finished products leave their distribution centres.

• Managing quality
• Campbell is focused on continuous improvement, to ensure its quality control systems are kept up to date with the latest technology. At the same time, it meets the industry’s top standards for quality assurance. Moreover, Campbell pays attention to regulatory compliance, and to quality standards and policies which are industry-leading and global in approach. Campbell ensures that these standards are met both in its own premises and by its contract manufacturers and suppliers abroad. In addition, in 2015, Campbell monitored the latest food safety trends and research, shared best practices with its network as a leading member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and maintained its commitment to Global Food Safety Initiative certification for all its manufacturing facilities.

• Investing in supplier engagement
• Campbell invests in supplier engagement in order to ensure ingredient safety by:
  • Collaborating directly with its suppliers, packaging companies and co-manufacturers. In order to reinforce these relationships, Campbell works with its partners to help align their operations with new rules and regulations in food safety and quality standards.
  • Updating, on a regular basis, its Supply Base Requirements and Expectations Manual, which outlines Campbell’s firm safety and quality requirements.
  • Carrying out occasional comprehensive audits on its suppliers to make sure the company’s high standards are being followed.
  • Applying control mechanisms such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and prerequisite programmes, at Campbell’s and suppliers’ facilities.

• Implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act
• According to the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) foreign suppliers have to ensure that their food safety systems and programmes comply with U.S. standards before their products are permitted to enter the USA.  Thus, to review and monitor sourced product ingredients and track suppliers’ performance and compliance, Campbell applies a global mapping system on its supply base.

• Minimizing the risk of allergens ending up in food products by mistake
• Campbell is striving to protect consumers who have allergies to particular ingredients by minimizing the risk of allergens ending up in food products by mistake. Food allergens at Campbell premises are controlled by implementing strict internal controls, which safeguard  the company’s consumers against any cross-contact with unintended ingredients. Campbell’s data system is designed to ensure the accuracy of label ingredient statements and allergen information. Moreover, the company’s advanced coding and scanning technology validates individual packages for labelling accuracy, allergen regulation and product traceability. Examples of food allergens monitored by Campbell include fin fish, peanuts, wheat, shellfish, tree nuts, soy protein, eggs, sesame seeds, dairy protein and gluten.

Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?

The GRI indicator addressed in this case is: G4-PR1: Percentage of significant product and service categories for which health and safety impacts are assessed for improvement and the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 416-1 Assessment of the health and safety impacts of product and service categories

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Campbell, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page

3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx

4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Campbell: With each case study we send out an email to your listed address in request for a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.