Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
April 2024
This statement sets out Lamb Weston EMEA’s actions to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to its business and to put in place steps that are aimed at ensuring that there is no slavery or human trafficking in its own business and its supply chains. This statement relates to actions and activities of Lamb-Weston/Meijer VOF and its subsidiaries during the financial year 2024/2025.
The organisation is absolutely committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in its corporate activities, and to ensuring that its supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking.
Organisation
Lamb-Weston/Meijer has its headquarters in Breda – The Netherlands. The company operates six factories: in the Netherlands (4), the United Kingdom (1) and Austria (1).
Lamb Weston EMEA serves the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region, supplying frozen potato products as well as dehydrated potato flakes to customers in the Foodservice, Quick Service, Industry and Retail segments. Together with Lamb Weston US, Lamb Weston EMEA promotes products under the Lamb Weston brand in 100 different countries all over the world.
Supply Chain
We insist on ethical standards from all of our suppliers. All our suppliers are required to work in line with our Supplier Code of Conduct which states that suppliers must ensure that no forced labour, including bonded, indentured and involuntary prison labour, inclusive of human trafficking and slavery, is used. Accordingly, any work performed involuntary by an employee and/or performed under threat of physical harm or other penalty is prohibited. Only voluntary employment may be utilised and employees must be allowed to terminate their employment at any time upon reasonable notice. Recently, we’ve started to review Dun & Bradstreet Corporation reports of our top 100 suppliers and on request of our purchasers, and take mitigating measures when needed. Next to that, we’ve started to use Tracegains, a software tool which delivers cloud-based supplier compliance, quality, and solutions for i.e. food companies. We’ve started with the implementation of the Supplier Management, Audit Management, and Supplier Compliance Modules, within our Food Supply Chain area.
Employment
Our Code of Conduct is mandatory and extends to every individual working for or on our behalf. The Code of Conduct requires all of us to act ethically and comply with legal requirements at all times, putting our principles into practice in everything we do. This financial year, our Code of Conduct is updated and aligned with the Lamb Weston US Code of Conduct. All employees are trained (again) through an online e-learning module on our Code of Conduct.
We’re committed to being a good employer and support the welfare, development and collaborative engagement of our people. Employees can report any concerns of wrongdoing, including human rights violations to their manager, HR, designated confidential advisors or to our helpline, which has been installed in 2023.
Next steps
We will continue to address the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking across our business and the supply chain and to explore ways to manage the risks. We understand and recognise that our own circumstances and those of our suppliers are constantly evolving and we will continue to develop our approach for tackling modern slavery and human trafficking at all levels within our supply chains and ensure that suppliers will continue to be required to work in line with our Supplier Code of Conduct.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending May 31st, 2024. This statement has been approved by the board of directors of Lamb Weston EMEA.
Stephan van Kuik
Senior Vice President
Lamb-Weston/Meijer VOF