The Food & Beverage industry is progressively closing the gap with leading industries (Pharmaceuticals, Technology Hardware, Automobiles & Parts and Banks). It currently occupies the fifth position in the EthicalQuote reputation ranking comparing ten industries. In 2007, Food & Beverage showed the second best progression, just between Technology Hardware and Automobile & Parts.
In the end of 2007, Unilever shows the best EthicalQuote score calculated the Food & Beverage industry starting in 2002, followed by Starbucks and Diageo, while Coca-Cola and Nestlé occupy the last positions. From January to December 2007 Coca-Cola, Unilever, Starbucks, PepsiCo and Nestlé show the best progression, while Archer Daniels Midland, Sara Lee and Cadbury Schweppes occupy the last positions. Results expressing the Reported Performance of companies place Coca-Cola in first position out of 16 Food & Beverage companies, followed by Starbucks, Nestlé, and Unilever.
From 2004 to 2006, the ethical progress of Food & Beverage companies has mostly been due to social and labour initiatives:
F&B products vs basic needs
The biggest risks are linked to products. The positive impact of Food & Beverage products is less discussed compared to what can be observed in other industries such as Pharmaceuticals. While life-saving drugs greatly fit into corporate citizenship programs, sodas, candies or bottled water are perceived to be further away from the satisfaction of basic human needs. Simultaneously, their negative dimensions are more discussed: Product safety, Obesity, Packaging, Child marketing.
The non-essential image of F&B products is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) challenge. Bottled water, candies and frozen dinners incarnate rich countries’ lifestyle. How can they match with basic social issues such as poverty, access to water, hunger, health, hygiene, or sanitation?
Projects, partnerships, initiatives, products and corporate policies addressing the topics of climate change, packaging, awards, women, education, water, nutrition and obesity, fair trade, community development and advertising will continue to attract sympathy and should be – if they have not been – communicated to the targeted audiences.
More information on Covalence Food & Beverage Industry Report 2007:
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Geneva-based Covalence tracks the ethical reputation of multinationals by sourcing information from companies, the media and civil society. For further information, please contact us at +41 (0)22 800 08 55; antoine.mach@
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