Diver Foods
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
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Cereal and snacks manufacturer
One of Australia's largest manufacturers of cereal and snacking products, including Carman's and Sam's Pantry products. KKR-owned Arnott's acquired a 75% stake in 2021, with founder Chris Diver keeping the remaining 25%.
Company Ownership
Diver Foods Pty Ltd | AUS | website | ||||
Arnott's Biscuits Ltd ![]() owns 75% of Diver Foods Pty Ltd |
AUS | website | ||||
Biscuit makers Established in 1865 in Newcastle, NSW. Became a wholly-owned subsidiary of US food giant Campbell Soup Company in 1997. 99 percent of their products sold in Australia are manufactured in Australia. In 2019 Campbell Soup Co sold its international business arm to private equity firm KKR, which included Campbell Soups in Australia and Arnotts Biscuits. Acquired Freedom Foods' cereals and snacks division in 2021, followed by a 75% stake in Australian cereal and snacking manufacturer Diver Foods. | ||||||
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP ![]() owns 100% of Arnott's Biscuits Ltd |
USA | website | ||||
Private equity firm One of the world's largest private equity firms. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010. Acquired Unilever's spreads business in 2017 for 6.83bn euros. Acquired Campbell Soup Co's international operations (including Arnott's) in 2019. |
Company Assessment
PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
Diver Foods Pty Ltd | ||||
No assessment data currently available for Diver Foods Pty Ltd | ||||
Arnott's Biscuits Ltd | ||||
Signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant, a voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2020) |
In 2015 the ACCC ordered this company to pay penalties totalling $51,000 for alleged misleading claims about the saturated fat content of its Shapes Light & Crispy product. Arnott's also provided a court enforceable undertaking to the ACCC.
Source: ACCC (2015) |
The WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2019 assesses 173 companies on the commitments they have made, and the actions they have taken, to ensure that there is no destruction of nature including no deforestation along their supply chains; and support a responsible and sustainable palm oil industry beyond their own supply chain. This company failed to respond to WWF's requests for information.
Source: WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2019 (2019)
Named and shamed in the 2014 CHOICE Shonky Awards. Arnott's peanut butter flavoured Tim Tam earned an award, because, according to Choice, it contained no peanuts (with paprika being a surprising inclusion) and because the pack contained fewer biscuits and weighed 35g less, despite maintaining the same price and package size.
Source: Choice (2014)
Named and shamed in the 2015 CHOICE Shonky Awards for the "school canteen - meets amber guidelines" claim emblazoned on packs of Arnott's Tiny Teddies. Arnott's did the approving all on its own, despite the fact that Tiny Teddies wouldn't pass the National Healthy School Canteen guidelines.
Source: Choice (2015)
This company won an award in 2014 from the Australian Packaging Covenant, for demonstrating their commitment to environmental sustainability by performing 'above and beyond' in their efforts to minimise waste. This company achieved the highest overall score in their category, large food company.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2014)
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's products are palm oil free, or contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). 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)
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)
Arnott's announced on 29 Oct 2010 that it will source ethical cocoa that has not been made with the use of child labour for all of its chocolate-based products, including the iconic Tim Tam biscuit, after being the target of a public campaign by World Vision earlier in the year.
Source: World Vision Australia (2010)
This company is listed on the RSPCA Australia website as 'cage-free and proud', signifying a commitment to source 100% cage-free eggs. 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)
The Arnott's Foundation is the charitable arm of Arnott's Biscuits Ltd. Supported projects include Camp Quality, Foodbank, Driver Reviver and Fairy Sparkle.
Source: company website (2020)
This company has Corporate Social Responsibility claims on its website in the areas of limiting emissions to the water, air and land, and the efficient use of resources. Also available are policy statements regarding sustainable palm oil and sustainable cocoa.
Source: company website (2020) |
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Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP | ||||
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 (2020) |
The Forest 500 identifies, ranks, and tracks the governments, companies and financial institutions worldwide that together could virtually eradicate tropical deforestation. Rankings are based on their public policies and commitments and potential impacts on tropical forests in the context of forest risk commodities (palm oil, soy, beef, leather, timber and paper). This financial instiution received a score of 0%.
Source: Forest 500 (2020)
In 2005, Toys "R" Us was purchased in a US$6.6 billion leveraged buyout by private equity firms Bain Capital, KKR, and Vornado Realty Trust. While Toys "R" Us' revenues remained steady over the next 13 years - US$11.1 billion in sales in 2017 - the retailer was saddled with debt it couldn't repay. By 2007, 97% of the company's operating income was consumed by interest, which left the company unable to upgrade technology or evolve its business model. The heavy debt load eventually led Toy "R" Us to file for bankruptcy in 2018. The company liquidated in June of 2018 and closed their remaining 800 stores. Over 33,000 employees of the company lost their jobs and their severance payments in bankruptcy court. The PE companies controlling the Toys "R" Us bankruptcy refused buyers that would have saved thousands of jobs and instead chose liquidation to maximize the financial extraction. The private equity firms that owned Toys "R" Us collected more than $470 million in fees and interest from the retailer over the ownership period, while a total of 64,000 jobs were lost.
Source: United 4 Respect (2019)
This company received a score of 10/100 in the Newsweek Green Rankings 2016, 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 (2016)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 15/100 in the Diversified Financial Services and Capital Markets category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 7 Feb 2021). 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 (2021)
On 29 June 2015 the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission charged this company with misallocating more than US$17m in 'broken deal' expenses to its flagship private equity funds in breach of its fiduciary duty. KKR agreed to pay nearly US$30m to settle the charges, including a penalty of US$10m.
Source: US SEC (2015)
In 2014, this company, together with other private equity firms Blackstone and TPG, agreed to pay US$325m to settle a lawsuit that accused seven private equity groups of conspiring to fix the prices of some of the world's biggest leveraged buyouts.
Source: Financial Times (2014)
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2021 rankings the public identified 19 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. 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 758th of 928 companies, and 31th of 35 Capital Markets companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2020) |
This investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals how KKR turns a blind eye to the human impact of the massive production outsourced by Dollar General and other companies in its portfolio. CLW Executive Director Li Qiang states that DG has 'the worst labor performance in China of all major US retailers'. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: China Labor Watch (2009)
This company has environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims on its website.
Source: company website (2016)
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: Modern Slavery Registry (2016) |
Company Details
Type | Private company |
Founded | 2003 |
Revenue | $96 million in 2020 |
Aus Manufacturing | Yes |
Contact Details
Address | 15 Rocco Dr, Scoresby, VIC, 3179, Australia |
Phone | 03 9765 2100 |
Freecall | 1800 569 366 |
Website | diverfoods.com.au |
Products / Brands
Diver Foods
Sam's Pantry Muesli & Oats Sam's Pantry Muesli Bars |