Social Audits
Through our social audit programme, carried out by auditors who are members of the Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA)1, we assess our suppliers of perishable and Private Brand products in primary production, marine operations, and in manufacturing sectors to identify, prevent, and mitigate existing and potential risks related to human and labour rights violations.
These audits, carried out in collaboration with our suppliers, provide them with specialised support on social and labour issues, helping them to be better prepared to meet their due diligence obligations in their operations and with their own suppliers. This makes them better able to prevent and mitigate risks, potentially strengthening their ability to expand into countries with strict labour requirements.
In 2025, a total of 64 audits were carried out, more than three times than those conducted in 2024. The results are detailed in “Selecting and monitoring suppliers”.
The suppliers selected for social audits, and the criteria assessed, including equivalence to certification systems verified by an external body, are described in “Social Audits”.
To prevent and mitigate potential risks of human and labour rights violations, the audits include a contact with workers across the value chain. Besides checking the documents provided by management and carrying out a site inspection, interviews are conducted with workers in the value chain to triangulate information and rule out any doubts or suspicions identified during a site visit. There are two types of worker interviews: individual and group. The selection of interviews prioritises:
groups that are considered potentially vulnerable (i.e., young and older adult groups, migrant workers, workers on temporary contracts, pregnant workers, and people returning from sick leave);
workers observed during the visit in a potential risk situation;
workers within the company’s age and gender averages as a means of representing the majority of the supplier’s workforce.
In these worker interviews, topics related to the existence or use of personal protective equipment, understanding the clauses in employment contracts, or the payment of overtime are often addressed. Interviews always respect the principles of confidentiality and non-retaliation.
During the audits carried out in 2025, more than 1,300 of our partners’ workers were interviewed.
Communication channels are also made available to these workers, such as the Ethics Committee and those provided for in our Whistleblowing Policy. A detailed description of these channels is provided in “Stakeholder engagement and communication channels”.
As part of the social audits, four training courses were held in 2025, with more than 100 participants, covering:
an understanding of human and workers’ rights;
analysis of the policy and regulatory environment in the world, particularly in Europe, focusing on social issues that will impact the Group and its value chain;
our policies and codes that set social requirements for our suppliers;
the mechanisms available to suppliers and workers in the value chain for reporting wrongdoing;
the criteria and procedures for social audits.
We believe that, by doing this, we are contributing to the commitment to eradicate forced labour across supply chains and promote decent working conditions, in line with the International Labour Organization and the priority industry principles defined by The Consumer Goods Forum, where “every worker should have freedom of movement, no worker should pay to work and no worker should go into debt to work or be coerced into it”.2
Supplier quality and safety audits
The product quality and safety audits we conduct also assess labour-related aspects such as workplace hygiene and safety conditions, training, the use of appropriate clothing, hand-washing equipment, and the rules of conduct and personal hygiene.
Our Sustainable Sourcing Policy and Code of Conduct provide for the possibility of immediately ceasing business relations with suppliers whenever we become aware that these, or their respective suppliers, are in violation of human, children’s and/or workers’ rights or do not incorporate ethical concerns in carrying out their activities.
A detailed description of these auditing processes is provided in “Food quality and safety audits”.
1 The Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA) is the professional standards body for independent social compliance auditors which, by implementing a mandatory, practitioner-led competency framework for auditors, aims to promote the consistency, quality, and credibility of social audits. To learn more, visit the APSCA website.
2 The Priority Industry Principles, established in 2016, aim to prevent practices that could develop into forced labour by setting minimum conditions, encouraging early due diligence, and strengthening companies’ ability to mitigate social risks in their global supply chains. To learn more, visit The Consumer Goods Forum website.