Oxfam’s Behind the Brands report looks at ethics of the world’s biggest food companies

WE MINDLESSLY consume them every day but new Oxfam research reveals the ethics behind the world’s biggest food brands. See how they fare.

Coca-Cola scored 54 per cent and led the way for respecting land rights, worker rights an

LOVE that chocolate Haagen-Dazs ice-cream? But what about the way its makers treat their farmers? How about KitKat and the way its production impacts the environment?

In a campaign to push big companies towards more ethical sourcing, international development group Oxfam is asking people to think about food producers’ attitudes towards issues such as climate change and workers’ rights the next time they dig into their favourite treat.

Oxfam’s “Behind the Brands” scorecard compares the way the 10 largest global food and drink companies do business.

The report, first compiled last year, looks at transparency, women’s rights, farmers’ rights and land, water and climate sustainability.

See how your favourite food brands fare

Unilever owned Ben and Jerry’s scored 63 per cent, well for worker rights and water waste but with room for improvement.

It relies on a “naming and shaming” strategy which asks people to share their concerns about the industry on social networks.

According to Oxfam, users asked companies to change their practices nearly 400,000 times since the campaign was first launched last February — making their requests by sharing information on social media or printing out an information poster.

A year after its launch, the campaign is now looking at how these companies have improved their business practices.

Snickers, owned by Mars, scored 31 per cent and deemed ‘neither heroic nor horrific’ and are inching their way up the scorecard.

Of the 10 biggest food and drink companies, nine made improvements to their policies in the last 12 months and improved their scores, Oxfam says.

General Mills, the seller of Haagen-Dazs and Yoplait, was the only one to see their score drop.

Oxfam’s assessment is not favourable. “General Mills doesn’t recognise key issues like the right to earn a living wage,” the report said about the company that sells Betty Crocker, Cheerios, Haagen-Dazs or Old El Paso.

General Mills, like other low-performing companies, blames Oxfam’s methodology for its poor scores.

“We do feel our efforts merit a stronger score,” the company’s spokesman said.

“General Mills is strongly focused on sustainability,” a spokesman for the company said in a statement to CNN.

Twinings, owned by Associated British Food scored 27 per cent and was ranked bottom of the pile for climate change and bad for women’s rights.

“We regularly report our progress in our annual Global Responsibility Report. Our report tends not to mirror the Oxfam scorecard, and because the scorecard is based only on publicly available information, that may be a key factor in their ranking,” the statement said.

Associated British Food, the brand behind Jordans cereals and global tea business Twinings, improved its score slightly compared to last year when it finished last — but in this year’s report, Oxfam still highlights its lack of ethical sourcing policies.

“In reality, the group’s policies are much, much more effective than Oxfam gives it credit for,” a spokesman for ABF, which finished second to last, told CNN.

Kit Kat, owned by Nestle, came top with 64 per cent. The brand leads on water use and climate change and is the most transparent, Oxfam reports.

“At ABF, we believe we have policies and practices in place to deliver a genuinely effective corporate responsibility strategy,” ABF said in a statement.

At the other end of the spectrum are the companies Oxfam praises for their drive to change their sourcing attitudes.

“Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola have joined a race to the top on policies that help address issues like hunger, poverty, women’s rights, land grabs and climate change in their supply chains,” the report said.

Oreo’s owner Mondolez received a low 33 per cent with low scores on climate change, water and land use.

Nestle scored the highest marks on the issues of climate change and water usage, while Coca-Cola came top of the table at supporting women’s rights.

Unilever, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s and Lipton got thumbs up from Oxfam for their support of small-scale farmers.

But Oxfam says even the top-ranking companies still have a long way to go.

“It will take time for them to reverse a 100-year history of relying on cheap land and labour to make mass products at huge profits but at high social and environmental costs. The race to the top is under way and there are clear leaders and laggards,” Byanyima added.