Modern slavery statement

Ella’s Kitchen Policy Statement on Modern Slavery

Lots and lots of people are involved in getting our yummy products to the shelves. From the workers in the fields and farms where our ingredients are grown, to the factories and warehouses where our products are made and stored, and the drivers of the lorries that transport them all over - even the people who supply our office stationery – our value chain is big and diverse.

At Ella’s Kitchen (legal entity – Ella’s Kitchen (Brands) Limited), we are working to ensure that everyone who we work with across our value chain is provided with fair, safe and healthy working conditions and share our beliefs and values on what it means to be good to each other. Modern Slavery is a growing global issue, and we all have a responsibility to be alert to the risks, however small, in our business and in the wider supply chain.
No sector or industry can be considered immune from Modern Slavery.

Ella’s Kitchen has a zero-tolerance approach to Modern Slavery and we are committed to working with our suppliers and partners to ensure fair, safe and healthy working conditions across our operations and supply chain. Staff are expected to report concerns using the appropriate reporting channels, and management is expected to act upon them.

1. Organisation + Business structure:

Ella's Kitchen is a certified B Corporation that makes organic baby and toddler food and children’s food which is sold in supermarkets around the world. All our products are manufactured in the UK and Europe by third party manufacturers, using ingredients sourced from all over the world - including the UK, Europe, and places such as Ecuador and India.

2. Our policies + processes:

Ella’s Kitchen is committed to ensuring that there is no Modern Slavery in our supply chain or business operations. Ella’s Kitchen is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX). SEDEX is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to responsible and ethical business practices. As part of doing business with Ella’s Kitchen we require all our raw material and packaging partners and co-manufacturers to become members of SEDEX. The SEDEX platform then allows us to manage risk within our operations and identify potential non-conformances. If any non-conformances are identified, we work through with our suppliers what steps are needed to take corrective action.

As part of our commitment to tackling modern slavery and ensuring fair, safe, and healthy working conditions, we launched in 2019 our Good To Each Other Code of Conduct (GTEO Code). Our GTEO Code has been drafted drawing upon International standards, including the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions and recommendations, which in turn are based on the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Convention on Rights of the Child. This year we set the scope of which of our key supply chain partners - from raw materials, to packaging and co-manufacturers - would receive our GTEO Code.

After our initial roll out 77% of our key partners identified have now accepted and confirmed that they are already observing our GTEO code and we are actively working with our remaining partners to communicate and receive confirmation that this policy is being observed. As well as asking for confirmation that our partners are observing this policy, we are encouraging the sharing of our GTEO Code with their own partners, manufacturers and contractors. This year, as part of our commitment to continuous improvement we will be reviewing and updating our GTEO Code of Conduct and will look to continue to roll out any new process and practices across our supply chain.

As a subsidiary of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Ella’s Kitchen observes The Hain Celestial Group Inc. Global Human Rights Statement as updated from time to time and The Hain Celestial Group Inc. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics Policy. These documents set out the minimum standards for the organisation’s approach to tackling modern slavery and child labour. Both Ella’s Kitchen and Hain Celestial Group Inc. have whistle blowing policies and processes in place - to allow employees the opportunity to raise any potential issues that they identify.
Our contracts with our raw material suppliers and co-manufacturing suppliers have a legally binding obligation from the supplier around compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, Sedex and other Ella’s supplier codes of conduct, which would include our GTEO Code.

3. Due Diligence:

We understand that Modern Slavery occurs in many sectors including agriculture. We are committed to working with our partners to ensure that we are addressing specific environmental and social challenges around certain ingredients. All our suppliers that we have identified of operating in higher risk ingredients sectors have confirmed that they are observing or will work with us on our GTEO Code. Ella’s Kitchen will continue to explore and implement additional standards and processes to help manage risks within these supply chains. If issues are identified, appropriate investigative and remedial actions will be taken. This could include termination of contract.

4. Training:

To ensure that there is a high level of understanding of the risks around Modern Slavery, Ella’s Kitchen provides training to all relevant members of the Ella’s team, this includes training on SEDEX to help our team understand how they can use the tools help identify and manage potential risks.
This statement has been put together as part of Ella’s Kitchen’s commitment to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ended 30 June 2023. It has been approved by the board of directors of Ella’s Kitchen (Brands) Limited, who will review and update it annually.

Signed:

Mark Cuddigan, CEO Ella’s Kitchen (Brands) Limited

Date: 23 August 2023