Cerebos Australia
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
Rating |
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Food and beverage manufacturer
In 2017 Kraft Heinz bought this company from Japanese beverages giant Suntory for $290 million.
Company Ownership
| Cerebos (Australia) Ltd | AUS | website | ||||
HJ Heinz Company Australia Ltd 
owns 100% of Cerebos (Australia) Ltd |
AUS | website | ||||
Food manufacturing Heinz began production in Australia in 1935. Bought Golden Circle in 2008 and Cerebos in 2018. In 2015 Heinz merged with Kraft, becoming Kraft Heinz. | ||||||
| Kraft Heinz Company
owns 100% of HJ Heinz Company Australia Ltd |
USA | website | ||||
Food and beverages Formed in 2015 when Heinz and Kraft merged, creating the 3rd largest food and beverage company in North America and the 5th largest food and beverage company in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands. | ||||||
| » Berkshire Hathaway Inc
owns 27% of Kraft Heinz Company |
USA | website | ||||
Conglomerate The world's 3rd richest man, Warren Buffett, owns about a quarter of the company. Berkshire Hathaway owns stakes of $1 billion or more in many companies including American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi, Wells Fargo, and IBM. Acquired half of Heinz in 2013. | ||||||
Company Assessment
| PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
| Cerebos (Australia) Ltd | ||||
| No assessment data currently available for Cerebos (Australia) Ltd | ||||
| HJ Heinz Company Australia Ltd | ||||
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This company received a packaging performance level of 4 (Leading) in its 2023 APCO Annual Report. Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. Each year, APCO Members are required to submit an APCO Annual Report and Action Plan, which includes an overall performance level from 1 (Getting Started) to 5 (Beyond Best Practice).
Source: APCO (2023) |
In 2018 the Federal Court fined Heinz Australia $2.25 million for making misleading health claim that its Little Kids Shredz products were a healthy and nutritious food for young children, when this was not the case. Shredz are over 60% sugar.
Source: ACCC (2018)
Independent testing commissioned by Friends of the Earth in 2017 found nanoparticles in popular Australian infant formula products that are both illegal in Australia and potentially dangerous, including products by this company. A growing body of scientific research demonstrates that nanoparticles pose threats to human health, raising concerns about their use in food and many other consumer products.
Source: FOE (2017) |
Golden Circle labelling still said "Australian Owned" in 2010, even though Heinz bought Golden Circle back in Dec 2008. Heinz was ordered to take correction measures by the ACCC.
Source: ACCC (2010)
Lowest rating in Greenpeace's Canned Tuna Guide. "Greenseas is miles behind at 10th place and the bottom of the pile. It is the only brand to have abandoned its commitment to sustainability. It was the first big brand to make the positive commitment to stop using destructive FADs, but has failed to follow through. Greenseas fails the transparency test ? providing no evidence to prove it can trace where its tuna comes from. It has also removed commitments and sustainability information from its website. Its human rights record is unknown. None of this is good enough. Vote with your wallet, and choose another brand." [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: Canned Tuna Guide (2017)
In May 2011 Heinz Australia announced it is to cut more than 300 jobs when it moves some of its Victorian, NSW and Queensland operations to New Zealand. Heinz will still employ 1400 Australians across four sites. Heinz CEO Nigel Comer said "there's a duplication of the infrastructure in factories across the region and it's been a trend of our company over a number of years to actually move production between countries."
Source: news article (2011)
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's frozen food products are palm oil free. For more details, follow the link to see Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia's list of products which manufacturers have told them are palm oil free or contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil.
Source: BOS Australia (2020)
Company retails, manufactures or distributes products that are certified organic under the Australian Certified Organic label.
Source: ACO (2022)
This company is a signatory to the Manufacturers and Importers Agreement 1992 (MAIF), a voluntary self-regulatory code of conduct between the manufacturers and importers of infant formula in Australia. The MAIF Agreement aims to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and by ensuring the proper use of breast milk substitutes, when they are necessary, on the basis of adequate information through appropriate marketing and distribution.
Source: Australian Govt Dept of Health (2019)
This company is listed by the Earth Island Institute as an approved dolphin-safe tuna processing company. This company has pledged to abide by the Earth Island international 'Dolphin Safe' tuna standards of no encirclement of dolphins or other marine mammals during an entire fishing trip, no accidental deaths or serious injuries of any dolphins, and no use of drift gill nets.
Source: Earth Island Institute (2020) |
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| Kraft Heinz Company | ||||
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In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts towards removing commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation from its direct operations and supply chains. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Forests Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022)
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021)
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of B-.
Source: CDP (2022) |
This company sources palm oil from at least 20 of the 25 dirty palm oil producers identified in the 2018 Greenpeace report "The Final Countdown". In addition to deforestation, the 25 individual cases in the report include evidence of exploitation and social conflicts, illegal deforestation, development without permits, plantation development in areas zoned for protection and forest fires linked to land clearance.
Source: Greenpeace (2018)
This company received a score of 9.1/100 (retrieved 10-Oct-2020) in the Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI), a system for evaluating supply chain practices in China, particularly in regards to environmental management and water pollution. Scores are calculated using government compliance data, online monitoring data, and third-party environmental audits, as well as trends in the environmental performance of factories in the company's supply chains.
Source: IPE (2020)
This company is named and shamed in IBFAN's 2017 report, 'Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules 2017', evidence of violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, compiled from June 2014 to June 2017. The report covers 792 Code violations from 79 countries and by 28 companies.
Source: IBFAN (2017)
Over the last 60 years farming has become dependent on the intensive use of chemicals. As You Sow's 2021 report, Pesticides in the Pantry, examines the growing risks posed by the use of synthetic pesticides in agricultural supply chains to food manufacturers, and scores companies on their efforts to reduce pesticide use in their supply chains. Scores ranged from 16 to 0, with an average score of 7.5. This company received a score of 4/27.
Source: As You Sow (2021)
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$42,689. The CEO was paid 1,034 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2020)
In 2018 volunteers collected and catalogued more than 187,000 pieces of trash from beach cleanups around the world to find out which corporations are contributing the most to the global plastic pollution problem. While not in the top 10, this company ranked as one of the world's worst plastic polluters.
Source: #breakfreefromplastic (2018)
As You Sow's 2021 Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard ranks companies on plastic packaging pollution. The study measures the progress of 50 large companies in the beverage, quick-service restaurant, consumer packaged goods, and retail sectors on six core pillars where swift action is needed to reduce plastic pollution: 1) Packaging Design, 2) Reusable Packaging, 3) Recycled Content, 4) Public Data Transparency, 5) Support for Recycling, and 6) Producer Responsibility. This company received a grade of D
Source: As You Sow (2021)
The WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2021 assesses 227 companies on the actions companies have taken to ensure their own palm oil supply chain is sustainable and free of deforestation, natural ecosystem conversion, and human rights abuse. This company is rated 'lagging behind' with a score of 10.96 out of a possible total of 24.
Source: WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard (2021)
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 24%.
Source: Forest 500 (2022)
The Global Access to Nutrition Index assesses how the world's 25 largest global food and beverage manufacturers contribute to addressing malnutrition in all its forms: overweight and obesity, undernutrition, and micronutrient deficiency. All have been assessed on their commitments, practices, and disclosure with regards to governance and management; the production and distribution of healthy, affordable, accessible products; and how they influence consumer choices and behavior. Of the 25 companies ranked, this company came 20th.
Source: Access to Nutrition Foundation (2021)
In 2020/21 KnowTheChain benchmarked over 180 large global companies in the ICT, Food & Beverage, and Apparel & Footwear sectors on their efforts to address forced labour and human trafficking in their supply chains. This company received a score of 21/100.
Source: KnowTheChain (2021)
The 2022 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 127 companies in the food and agriculture, ICT and automotive manufacturing sectors on their human rights performance. This company received a score of 13.8%. The overall average score was a disappointing 17.3% and the highest score was 50.3%.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2022)
In 2019 the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said that Kraft Heinz and Mondelez International will pay $16m in penalty regarding a wheat manipulation case that dates back to 2015. The CFTC said Kraft and Mondelez came up with a strategy to purchase and stand for delivery on more than 3,000 futures contracts, priced at about $90m, to send the market a false signal that the companies had demand for wheat. The lawsuit was filed by wheat futures and options traders who accused Kraft and Mondelez of illegally manipulating the grain's price at their expense.
Source: news article (2019)
Kraft Heinz is 27% owned by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, who get an 'F' rating.
Source: Shop Ethical (2021)
As You Sow's 2021 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Miguel Patricio came in at number 6 on the list, having been paid US$43,297,480 in 2020. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Source: As You Sow (2021)
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 705th of 951 companies, and 24th of 31 Food, Beverage & Tobacco companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023)
In 2021 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged this company with engaging in a long-running expense management scheme that resulted in the restatement of several years of financial reporting. The SEC also charged Kraft's former executives for their misconduct related to the scheme. Kraft consented to cease and desist from future violations and pay a civil penalty of US$62 million.
Source: SEC (2021) |
This company received a score of 3.6/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2017)
This company has products rated RED in the Centre for Food Safety's True Food Shopper's Guide (USA). Products on the RED list contain ingredients that come from the most common GE crops (corn, soy, canola, cotton). Companies with products on this list have confirmed that their products may have or are likely to be made with GE ingredients, or have not denied using GE foods when given the opportunity to do so.
Source: Center for Food Safety USA (2018)
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target.
Source: We Mean Business (2021)
This company is listed on the RSPCA Australia website as 'cage-free and proud', signifying a commitment to source 100% cage-free eggs by 2025. Essentially cage-free means barn laid, which is better than cage eggs, but still much worse than free-range or organic eggs when it comes to animal welfare.
Source: RSPCA Australia (2020)
This company has products that have been verified as compliant with the Non-GMO Project Standard, North America's only independent verification for products made according to best practices for GMO avoidance.
Source: Non-GMO Project (2021)
This company is a signatory to the US Plastics Pact, a collaborative effort organized by The Recycling Partnership and the World Wildlife Fund, launched as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's global Plastics Pact network to unify diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to rethink the way we design, use, and reuse plastics, to create a path forward to realize a circular economy for plastic in the United States. In line with the Ellen McArthur Foundation's vision of a circular economy for plastics, which unites more than 850+ organizations, the US Plastics Pact brings together companies, government entities, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders to work collectively toward scalable solutions tailored to the unique needs and challenges within the U.S. landscape, through vital knowledge sharing and coordinated action.
Source: US Plastics Pact (2023)
This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.
Source: How2Recycle (2023)
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website (2017)
The 2021 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report ranks global food companies on how they are managing and reporting their farm animal welfare policies and practices. This company appeared in tier 4, "Making progress on implementation", with tier 1 being the best, and tier 6 the worst.
Source: BBFAW (2021)
Friends of the Earth's 2014 report "Tiny Ingredients, Big Risks" names Heinz as one of over 200 transnational food companies engaged in nanotechnology research and development, and on their way to commercializing products. New studies are adding to a growing body of scientific evidence indicating nanomaterials may be toxic to humans and the environment.
Source: FOE (2014)
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)
The 2021 Food and Agriculture Benchmark assessed 350 keystone companies across the entirety of the food system, from farm to fork. It covers three dimensions where transformation is needed: nutrition, environment and social inclusion. This company ranked #58/350, with a total score of 35.9/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2021)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 59/100 in the Food Products category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 18 Nov 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022) |
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Company Details
| Type | Wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Revenue | 297 million AUD (2011) |
| Employees | 379 (2014) |
| Aus Manufacturing | Yes |
Contact Details
| Address | 92-96 Station Rd, Seven Hills, NSW, 2147, Australia |
| Phone | 02 9624 5200 |
| consumer@cerebos.com.au | |
| Website | www.cerebos.com.au |