Forced labor risk: KnowTheChain benchmark finds major food and beverage brands’ response inadequate

Findings report          Company ranking          Press release

KnowTheChain, which ranked the 20 largest global food and beverage companies on the steps they are taking to combat forced labor in their supply chain, finds major food and beverage companies are not taking sufficient action despite acute risks

Across seven measurement areas, the average company score is 30 out of a possible 100, with a significant disparity between a few leading brands and the rest. Unilever (scoring 65/100), Coca-Cola (58) and Nestlé (57) score highest. All other companies score under 50 points, and four companies (Fomento Economico Mexicano, Kraft Heinz, Monster Beverage, and Tyson Foods) score under 15 points.

Some findings are encouraging. Seventeen of the 20 companies have processes in place to trace some aspects of their supply chains, however no company has achieved full traceability. Also promising is that 15 of the companies integrate labor standards (including a prohibition on forced labor) into their supplier contracts; however few complement this with purchasing practices that support suppliers that have strong labor practices such as offering long-term contracts.