Conagra Brands

No leading practices were identified for the company in the governance and strategy measurement area.

Plastic use and packaging waste
Conagra Brands has set a target for achieving 100% renewable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. In 2020, the company reports that approximately 84% of its packaging materials met the target. To strengthen its performance on the topic, Conagra Brands has an opportunity to provide evidence that it has achieved 100% sustainable packaging across its operations, while demonstrating it engages with value chain partners to reduce plastic use.

Water use
In its CDP water reporting, Conagra Brands disclosed an intensity-based target to reduce water use per pound of production by 20% by 2020. The company achieved 33% of the 2020 target in 2019. Furthermore, Conagra Brands monitors water sourcing risks through the Water Resources Institute’s Aqueduct global water risk mapping tool. Among its mitigation strategies for its priority ingredients and materials, Conagra Brands has in place supplier water management assessments as part of its Supplier Excellence Program, while reducing the sourcing dependency on regions with persistent water stress.

Food safety
Conagra Brands demonstrates compliance with national regulations on food safety and hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) standards, while stating that all its facilities are certified to a scheme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Additionally, the company states that approximately 80% of its tier 1 suppliers are GFSI-certified. Conagra Brands can strengthen its performance by demonstrating that 100% of its suppliers are certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme/certification programme.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion measurement area.

Sustainable development strategy
While the company has key performance indicators covering topics within the three benchmark dimensions of environment, nutrition and social inclusion, it has an opportunity to disclose a sustainable development strategy as well as how it identifies and prioritises its most relevant topics.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
Conagra Brands has established a Nominating Corporate Governance Committee whose members regularly review corporate social responsibility topics. The committee is composed of members of the board who are appointed by the board and report back to the board. The company can strengthen its disclosure by disclosing its highest governance body remuneration policy regarding sustainability.

Stakeholder engagement
The company does not disclose stakeholder engagement activities, including how it selects the stakeholders, nor an overview of the topics discussed or their outcomes.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
Although Conagra Brands has committed to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 25% by 2030, as compared to the baseline year (SBTi target), it reports an increase in emissions of 2% in 2020 from the previous year. Conagra Brands can improve its performance by disclosing progress against the target.

Protection of terrestrial natural ecosystem
Conagra Brands’ high-risk commodities include palm oil, beef and cocoa. The company demonstrates that 100% of its palm oil and cocoa purchases are covered by certifications. However, the company does not have a deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) target for the 5% of beef sourced from Brazil. Therefore, Conagra Brands provides evidence that it has achieved DCF supply chains for some but not all of its relevant high-risk commodities, offering room for improvement in relation to beef.

Food loss and waste
Although Conagra Brands identifies food waste as a material issue, it does not disclose that it is addressing food loss and waste in its own operations. The company has an opportunity to disclose a commitment by demonstrating policies and/or activities that tackle food loss and waste.

Animal welfare
While the company has a commitment on animal welfare that addresses animal welfare issues in its supply chain, it does not apply to all key species, geographies or products that are relevant to the company.

Availability of healthy foods
While the company discloses that it has introduced reformulated products with increased level of vegetables and wholegrains, it has an opportunity to disclose quantitative information on its reformulation efforts regarding the reduction of key nutrients such as fat, salt and sugar.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
The company does not disclose a commitment and activities to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods for vulnerable groups.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company does not disclose a commitment to provide nutritional information through clear, transparent and accurate labelling.

Responsible marketing
While the company has a commitment to market its products responsibly, particularly to children, it has an opportunity to disclose evidence of activities promoting healthy foods.

Child labour
While the company commits to prohibiting child labour in its own operations and requires its suppliers to adhere to the same standard, it has an opportunity to disclose a policy requiring its suppliers to have an age-verification system in place.

Forced labour
While the company commits to prohibiting forced labour in its own operations and supply chain, it has an opportunity to disclose a requirement that prohibits its suppliers from restricting workers’ freedom of movement.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
The company does not disclose that it specifically recognises the health and safety risks to vulnerable groups, such as migrant and temporary labourers, women and young farmers.

Land rights
The company does not commit to recognising and respecting the legitimate tenure rights related to the ownership and use of land of local communities.

Conagra provides grievance mechanisms for both its workers and third parties. However, the company does not provide sufficient evidence of respecting human rights and the ILO core labour rights, as it does not commit to respecting freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining and the rights not to be subject to forced labour and child labour. No evidence of a human rights due diligence process or substantial engagement with affected and potentially affected stakeholders was found in the public domain.

The company commits to health and safety and gender equality but should increase its disclosure on key metrics related to these topics. Although the company reports on collective bargaining agreements, it does not demonstrate how it supports this issue in its supply chain. There is an opportunity for Conagra to improve its disclosure on living wages, as no targets or evidence regarding paying a living wage in its own operations and supply chain were found in the public domain. Moreover, no publicly available documents regulating working hours were found.

Conagra has a policy statement prohibiting bribery and corruption but does not disclose the process for identifying its bribery risks and impacts in specific locations or activities. Moreover, no relevant policies or commitments and disclosure on metrics related to other key ethical business topics – tax, lobbying and political engagement – were found in the public domain.