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Sara Lee Australia

OVERALL

Owned
CAN
Rating
Some praise, no criticism

Bakery products

Sara Lee Corporation was renamed Hillshire Brands Company after spinning off its international coffee and tea business in June 2012. Sara Lee Australia's coffee and tea operations are now part of D.E Master Blenders 1753. Hillshire Brands sold its Australian bakery unit, Kitchens of Sara Lee, to McCain Australia in Feb 2013.

Company Ownership

Kitchens of Sara Lee Pty Ltd   AUS     website   email      
  McCain Foods (Aust) Pty Ltd   
   owns 100% of Kitchens of Sara Lee Pty Ltd  
AUS     website   email   facebook   

Frozen food producer

McCain established their Australian subsidiary in 1968, and currently operates eight production facilities, which are located on five sites throughout Australia and New Zealand. Acquired Kitchens of Sara Lee Pty Ltd from Hillshire Brands in 2013 for $85 million.

      McCain Foods Ltd   
       owns 100% of McCain Foods (Aust) Pty Ltd  
CAN     website   email      

Potato processors

McCain Foods is the #1 French fry maker in the world, processing about one million pounds of French fries and other potato products per hour. The McCain family began producing french fries in 1957 and still owns the company. Today they operate 50 plants around the world and their products sell in more than 130 countries.

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Kitchens of Sara Lee Pty Ltd
No assessment data currently available for Kitchens of Sara Lee Pty Ltd
McCain Foods (Aust) Pty Ltd
Environment Australian Packaging Covenant signatory
Signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant, a voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2020)
Social Fined for unsafe workplace
In 2010 McCain Foods was fined $145,000 after a worker's thumb was severed in a potato peeler three years earlier. The company pleaded guilty in Ballarat County Court to failing to maintain a safe working environment.
Source: news article (2010)
Social Breaching advertising codes
This company has been criticised for offensive advertising. In 2016 the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld complaints about a television ad by this company on the grounds that it breached advertising codes. The ad opens with one young man bailing up and dancing stupidly in front of a pizza delivery driver on a motor scooter. While the driver is distracted a second young man steals a pizza from the container behind the driver. Several young men then eat the stolen pizza and a McCain pizza. They are blindfolded. The ad ends with one of these young men punching one of his friends in the head (both blindfolded), for what appears to be the fun of doing so. The ad was subsequently discontinued or modified.
Source: Advertising Standards Bureau (2016)
Social Refusal to use Health Star Ratings
This company has been criticised by CHOICE for refusing to place health star ratings on their products.
Source: CHOICE (2015)
Environment Palm oil free products
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's 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)
Social Promoting healthy eating
In 2011 McCain was awarded the Parent Jury's Fame Award for Parents' Choice, for its school veggie patches campaign. The award congratulates food marketing campaigns that promotes healthy eating to children in a fun and appealing way. The Parents Jury is a children's health advocacy group.
Source: Parents Jury (2011)
McCain Foods Ltd
Environment Possible GE in Canada brands
This company has products rated RED in Greenpeace Canada's "How to Avoid Genetically Engineered Foods" Shoppers Guide. Products on the RED list are likely to contain GE or GE-derived ingredients from the most widely grown GE crops, usually corn, soy, canola or cotton. Companies on this list have confirmed that their products may or are likely to be made with GE ingredients, or have not denied using GE foods when given the opportunity to do so.
Source: Greenpeace Canada (2013)
Animals Cage-free eggs commitment
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)
Business Ethics Sustainability claims
This company has a number of sustainability claims on its website.
Source: company website (2020)
Business Ethics Sustainable Agriculture Initiative member
This company is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the main food industry initiative supporting the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide. Created by Nestle, Unilever and Danone in 2002, the SAI Platform is a non-profit organization to facilitate sharing, at precompetitive level, of knowledge and initiatives to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving the different stakeholders of the food chain.
Source: SAI Platform (2019)
Social Investment in nanotechnology
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)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Wholly-owned subsidiary
Aus Manufacturing Yes

Contact Details

Address Railway Crescent, Lisarow, NSW, 2250, Australia
Phone 02 4329 8444
Fax 02 4328 2744
Freecall 1800 065 056
Email consumerservices@saralee.com.au
Website www.saralee.com.au

Products / Brands

Sara Lee Australia
Bon Gateaux Frozen Desserts/Fruit
Sara Lee Frozen Desserts/Fruit
Sara Lee Ice Cream
Sara Lee Pies & Pasties


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