FAIRR’s top news picks
McDonald’s Child Labour Audit Demanded by Shareholder Groups
The Washington Post | 23 June 2023
Shareholder groups are demanding an independent investigation into human rights practices at McDonald's following a series of child labour findings. These included a 15-year-old getting grease burns from a deep fryer and a 10-year-old working until 2 a.m. Child labour is also a prominent issue in meatpacking. FAIRR’s recent insight examines a recent national child labour scandal in the US cantered around migrant children who have been found to be illegally employed in meatpacking plants across the country.
Extreme Floods and Heat in China Ravage Farms and Kill Animals
The New York Times | 24 June 2023
In May, China experienced unusually heavy rainfall, which disrupted its wheat harvest – the extent of the damage is unclear, but analysts have suggested this could lead to an increase in imports and a resulting rise in global grain prices. Now, extreme heat kills fish in rice paddies in southern China and thousands of pigs at a farm in Nantong. These incidents once again expose the vulnerability of China's food system to climate shocks, and the potential knock-on impacts globally.
Nestlé to Walk Away From ‘Carbon Neutral’ Claims
Just Food | 28 June 2023
Nestlé will move away from using carbon offsets and instead will invest in practices that help reduce GHG emissions in its own supply chain and operations. According to the brand, this has the most impact on reaching net zero targets. Recently, several brands were criticised for using misleading “carbon neutral” labels on products. Nestlé wants to achieve a reduction of 50% of its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2030 against a 2018 baseline.
Graph of the Week
Source: The Wall Street Journal
More Food for Thought
UK Missing Climate Targets on Nearly Every Front | Fiona Harvey | The Guardian
FAIRR’s Protein Pulse is a weekly collection of news articles related to the food sector that may be of interest to our members. FAIRR does not necessarily endorse the views of these news articles and assumes no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies found in third-party content.
