Gourmet Food
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
Rating |
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Food manufacturer
Gourmet Food is the integration of Max Foods and Fine Food Holdings. All of their crackers are made at their new facility in Melbourne, which also manfacturers for other companies. Australian private equity firm CPE bought a majority stake in 2018 and then sold the company to Mondelez in 2021.
Company Ownership
| Gourmet Food Holdings Pty Ltd | AUS | website | ||||
Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd 
owns 100% of Gourmet Food Holdings Pty Ltd |
AUS | website | ||||
Food & beverage manufacturing When Kraft bought Cadbury in Feb 2010, Cadbury Australia became part of Kraft Foods Australia, which was renamed Mondelez Australia in 2013 when Kraft split into two companies, Kraft USA and Mondelez. Kraft has since merged with Heinz. In Jan 2017 Mondelez Australia sold the Vegemite brand and the Kraft license to Bega Cheese. | ||||||
| Mondelez International Inc
owns 100% of Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd |
USA | website | ||||
Food manufacturer Kraft Foods was spun off from tobacco company Altria (formerly Philip Morris) in March 2007. Bought Cadbury in 2010. In October 2012 Kraft Foods split into two public companies: a global snacks business named Mondelez International, and a North American grocery business called Kraft Foods Group Inc. | ||||||
Company Assessment
| PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
| Gourmet Food Holdings Pty Ltd | ||||
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Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's biscuit 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)
On its website this company claims that its products are free of GMOs and artificial colours and flavours, and that its cracker packaging is recyclable.
Source: company website (2020) |
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| Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd | ||||
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This company received a packaging performance level of 4 (Leading) in its 2022 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 (2022) |
This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2016 the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld complaints about a tv ad by this company on the grounds that it breached advertising codes. The ad was subsequently discontinued or modified.
Source: Advertising Standards Bureau (2016)
This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2010/11 the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld complaints about two ads by this company on the grounds that they breached advertising codes. The ads were subsequently discontinued or modified.
Source: Advertising Standards Bureau (2011)
This company is a signatory to the Responsible Children's Marketing Initiative (RCMI), which is managed by the Australian Food & Grocery Council and covers products found in retail outlets. Companies that have signed up to the initiative commit to: only advertising healthier choices to children and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through good diet and physical activity; not paying for or seeking product placement television programs, editorial content or interactive games aimed at children, unless the product is a healthier choice; not advertising and marketing to children in Australian schools unless they are asked to by those schools.
Source: AFGC (2019)
This company sells Fairtrade Certified chocolate. However this only represents a fraction of their total chocolate sales.
Source: Fairtrade ANZ (2015)
This company is a member of the New Zealand-based Sustainable Business Council, signifying a commitment to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and build sustainability into their purchasing decisions. Members are required to introduce annual reporting practices, which outline their progress on environmental, social, governance and economic issues.
Source: Sustainable Business Council (2020) |
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| Mondelez International Inc | ||||
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In 2021, 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 (2021)
In 2021, 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 (2021)
In 2021, 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 (2021)
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 10th.
Source: Access to Nutrition Foundation (2021)
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)
America's Most Responsible Companies 2022 by Newsweek and Statista recognises the Top 500 most responsible companies in the United States. Companies were evaluated in three areas: environmental (waste, energy use, etc.), social (leadership diversity, employees and philanthropy) and governance (transparency and economic performance). This company received a total score of 70.1/100, ranking 29th in the Consumer Goods sector, and 326th overall.
Source: Newsweek (2021)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 74/100 in the Food Products category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 16 Dec 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) |
A 2017 investigation by Mighty Earth, "Chocolate's Dark Secret," found that a large amount of the cocoa used in chocolate produced by major chocolate companies, including this one, is grown illegally in national parks and other protected areas in Ivory Coast and Ghana. The countries are the world's two largest cocoa producers. The report documents how in several national parks and other protected areas, 90% or more of the land mass has been converted to cocoa. Less than four percent of Ivory Coast remains densely forested.
Source: Mighty Earth (2017)
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)
In 2021 Break Free From Plastic engaged 11,184 volunteers in 45 countries to conduct 440 brand audits. These volunteers collected 330,493 pieces of plastic waste, 58% of which was marked with a clear consumer brand. This company ranked as one of the world's top 10 plastic polluters.
Source: #breakfreefromplastic (2021)
The Talking Trash 2020 report by Changing Markets investigates the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis. It found that the industry is actively delaying and derailing ambitious action on plastic pollution in its fight to maintain business as usual for as long as possible. For example, this company is signed up to 3 nice-sounding voluntary initiatives to address plastic waste, while also participating in 4 industry associations which lobby against legislation that could restrict plastic, or make corporations responsible for managing the waste they create, financially or otherwise.
Source: Changing Markets (2020)
This company received a score of 7.8/100 (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)
Rainforest Action Network's 2022 report and scorecard "Keep Forests Standing" assessed 17 brands and banks on their efforts to address their contribution to the destruction of forests, ongoing land grabs, and violence against local and Indigenous communities. This company was identified as one of the worst offenders, receiving an 'F' grade in the evaluation.
Source: RAN (2022)
In 2019 Rainforest Action Network (RAN) conducted a series of undercover investigations which showed that several major snack food producers, including this company, have been found purchasing palm oil from mills that have continued to source palm oil resulting from the illegal clearing of lowland rainforests within the nationally protected Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve in Indonesia. These mills are located immediately next to areas of illegal encroachment into the Leuser Ecosystem and lack the necessary procedures to trace the location where the palm oil they sell is grown, a key requirement for complying with the No Deforestation, No Peatlands, No Exploitation (NDPE) policy this company has publicly committed to.
Source: RAN (2019)
A 2022 BBC News, Mongabay and the Gecko Project released a joint investigation that looked into a scheme that was intended to help lift millions of Indonesians out of poverty and cut them in on the spoils of the global palm oil boom, but has instead been plagued by allegations of exploitation and illegality. They identified 13 companies, including this one, that have sourced palm oil from producers alleged to have withheld plasma (a portion of large-scale plantations to be shared with local communities), or the profits from plasma, from Indonesian communities over the past eight years. The losses suffered across Indonesia by communities owed plasma could stretch into the hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Protests by local tribes over plasma are violently suppressed by Indonesian authorities.
Source: Mongabay (2022)
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 7/27.
Source: As You Sow (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 31/100.
Source: KnowTheChain (2021)
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 5, "On the business agenda but limited evidence of implementation", with tier 1 being the best, and tier 6 the worst.
Source: BBFAW (2021)
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$32,280. The CEO was paid 561 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)
This company scores Ethical Consumer's worst rating for the likely use of tax avoidance strategies, and has at least two high risk subsidiaries in tax havens.
Source: Ethical Consumer (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)
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 592nd of 951 companies, and 18th of 31 Food, Beverage & Tobacco companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023) |
In 2015 As You Sow, a consumer health protection organization, commissioned testing to measure levels of lead and cadmium in 42 chocolate products available at retailers across California. Products by this company were found to contain unsafe levels of lead and cadmium.
Source: As You Sow (2015)
This International Labor Rights Forum report highlights corporations known for violating workers' freedom of association and right to organise. This company, previously Kraft Foods, was selected on the basis of their ties to violence against trade unions and suppression of the universal right to organise. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: ILRF (2009)
In September 2000 Friends of the Earth exposed the illegal starlink corn in Kraft taco shells, forcing a massive recall of this genetically engineered corn that had not been approved for human consumption.
Source: Organic Consumers Association (2000)
The Organic Consumers Association and allies has called for a boycott of all Kraft products for their use of genetically modified foods. In the USA, Kraft Foods uses milk from cows given genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone, developed by Monsanto. GMO bovine growth hormone produces milk that is less nutritious, is contaminated with pus, and has elevated levels of IGF-1. Elevated levels of IGF-1 are correlated with increased rates of cancer.
Source: Organic Consumers Association (USA) (2011)
As You Sow's 2022 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, Dirk Van de Put came in at number 86 on the list, having been paid US$16,842,693 in 2021. 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: (2022)
In March 2011 Kraft Foods, Unilever and Dr. Oetker were fined US$53.2m for illegally sharing 'competition-relevant information' by German competition authorities. [Listed under Information due to age of court finding]
Source: Australian Food News (2011)
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)
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's chocolate 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)
In 2010 Kraft responded to Greenpeace evidence of the Sinar Mas group's destructive practices by cancelling their contracts with the Indonesian palm oil and paper giant. Greenpeace has documented Sinar Mas repeatedly breaking industry guidelines, Indonesian law and its own public statements, razing rainforests to the ground in its race to produce palm oil.
Source: Greenpeace (2011)
Compassion in World Farming is a UK-based organisation which works with the European food industry to encourage and reward commitment, transparency, performance and innovation in the field of animal welfare. Mondelez won their Good Dairy Commendations in 2013 for their efforts in Europe to source milk for their Philadelphia cheeses from farms with outdoor grazing and the best welfare conditions.
Source: Compassion in World Farming (2013)
This company is a signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, whose goal is to eliminate plastic pollution at its source.
Source: New Plastics Economy (2022)
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 (2020)
This company is a member of Bonsucro - Better Sugar Cane Initiative, a global non-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation fostering the sustainability of the sugarcane sector through its leading metric-based certification scheme and its support for continuous improvement for members.
Source: Bonsucro (2019)
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 (2020)
This company is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit, membership organisation that leads work with buyers and suppliers to deliver improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.
Source: Sedex (2018)
This company is a member of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, demonstrating a commitment to no further conversion of any forest land for cocoa production in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. On March 2019, thirty-three company signatories, accounting for about 85% of global cocoa usage, released detailed individual action plans. The action plans focus on forest protection and restoration, sustainable cocoa production and farmers' livelihoods, and community engagement and social inclusion.
Source: World Cocoa Foundation (2020)
This company is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), an international membership organization representing more than 100 member companies across the cocoa value chain. WCF is committed to creating a sustainable cocoa economy through economic & social development and environmental stewardship in cocoa-growing communities.
Source: World Cocoa Foundation (2019)
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 43%.
Source: Forest 500 (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 'middle of the pack' with a score of 12.18 out of a possible total of 24.
Source: WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard (2021)
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 C-
Source: As You Sow (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 21.5%. The overall average score was a disappointing 17.3% and the highest score was 50.3%.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2022)
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)
Be Slavery Free's 2022 Chocolate Scorecard rates all the major chocolate companies on their labour and environmental policies and practices. This company is rated as "Starting to implement good policies".
Source: Be Slavery Free (2022)
Friends of the Earth's 2014 report "Tiny Ingredients, Big Risks" names this company 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 #35/350, with a total score of 39.9/100.
Source: World Benchmarking Alliance (2021) |
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Company Details
| Type | Wholly-owned subsidiary |
| Aus Manufacturing | Yes |
Contact Details
| Address | 10 Fox Drive, Dandenong South, VIC, 3175, Australia |
| Phone | 1300 366 704 |
| info@gourmetfood.com.au | |
| Website | www.gourmetfood.com.au |
Products / Brands
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