Stakeholder Engagement
Campbell applies multiple strategies to engage our stakeholders and gather
diverse external perspectives on our business activities.
Campbell uses multiple tools to gather diverse external perspectives on our business activities. In addition to third-party
consumer and customer research, our Consumer and Customer Insights and Consumer Affairs departments, and our Customer
Relationship Managers help us identify the priorities of our marketplace stakeholders.
Specific processes are used to obtain feedback from our suppliers, employees, investors, and external thought leaders in areas
including health and nutrition, food safety, and quality, environmental stewardship, community relations, and employee engagement.
We also conduct benchmarking for leadership performance and interact with many trade and issue management groups
worldwide. To complement the rich input we receive through our existing stakeholder engagement models, in FY2009 & FY2010 we also
conducted specific surveys on CSR and sustainability with consumers, key customers, suppliers, and internal brand managers.
Consumers genuinely appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback on CSR. Below are just three of the more than 100 comments
we received after our most recent consumer survey of key CSR attributes and perceptions.
Campbell's business leaders serve as trustees or members
of the advisory boards of many organizations engaged in
the CSR/sustainability agenda, including, for example, the
following:
- American Council for Fitness and Nutrition
- Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation
- Agricultural Sustainability Institute, University of California at Davis
- Food Allergy Research and Resource Program
- Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia
- Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
- Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
- Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP)
- Net Impact
- Food for All
- Association for Consumer Research
- Foundation for Strategic Sourcing
- European Cluster for Fruit and Vegetable Innovation
- Food Bank of South Jersey
- Students in Free Enterprise
- United Way of Camden County
- United Way, Wilton/Norwalk, CT
In addition, Campbell has established a Scientific Advisory Panel to provide external expertise on vegetable nutrition. The panel
has been designed to provide strategic insights on current and emerging science on vegetable and plant ingredients including
their nutrient/phytonutrient composition; the health benefits that vegetable/plant ingredients and phytonutrients could
provide; how manufacturing and processing may affect these nutrients and phytonutrients; and how product attributes can be
delivered from this science. All of this information is part of the materiality assessment that is conducted annually in the CSR and
sustainability strategic planning process.
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Employees |
- Employee forums
- Brand- and plant-based intranet sites
- Business Resource Affinity Networks
- Employee surveys
- Anonymous channels
- Labor negotiations
- Innovation portal
|
- Business trends, interests, and knowledge
- New ideas for innovation
|
- Open and reliable channels of communication across entire workforce
- A sense of shared perspective, with multiple touch points to support alignment
|
Health Research and Advocacy Bodies
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Health research and advocacy bodies |
- R&D relationships
- Campbell memberships
- Research results
- Strategic issue partnerships
|
- Nutrition and labeling standards
- Clinical research
- Industry partnerships
|
- Cutting-edge science on nutrition
- Accurate and understandable labeling
- Cause marketing relationships aligned with Campbell brands
|
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Consumers |
- Dedicated Consumer Affairs organization, web portal, telephone, and written interaction
- Consumer insights research
- Campbell's Kitchen website
- Nutrition and wellness website
- Specific consumer studies, including on CSR/sustainability
|
- Product ingredients
- New product inputs
- Labeling
- Nutrition
- Product use and recipes
- Buying and use behavior
- Consumer priorities
|
- Understanding and alignment with consumer interests and trends
- Direct, high-touch relationship with Campbell's consumers
- Trust and ability to communicate rapidly
|
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Customers |
- Direct customer relationship organizations
- Top-to-top customer meetings (including CSR/sustainability strategy)
- 360º customer feedback vehicles
|
- Business relationships
- Customer service & support
- Marketing support
- Trade practices
- Logistics & supply-chain capabilities
|
- Tailored business strategies that meet our customers' needs and priorities
|
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Suppliers |
- Assessments and audits
- Face-to-face meetings
- Business continuity plans
- Community partnerships
- Supplier diversity initiatives
- Product design
- Sustainable packaging fairs
|
- Product quality and safety
- Sustainable packaging
- Supply chain risk mitigation
- Cost-saving opportunities
- Partnership in local citizenship activities
|
- Robust and reliable supply chain
- Alignment on ethical, human rights and environmental expectations
|
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Shareowners |
- Meetings with institutional investors and major shareowners to address business and CSR/sustainability issues
- New expanded outreach to socially responsible investors
|
- Business performance
- Health and wellness product strategies
- International expansion plans
- Sustainability targets and results
|
- Close and interactive relationship with shareowners from institutional to retail
- Enhanced understanding of Campbell's seven business strategies
|
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Communities and NGOs |
- Direct, on-the-ground relationships
- Networking relationships across our community partners
- Recognition events
- Brainstorming discussions
- Regional priority plans — health, community revitalization, youth
- Signature partnerships
|
- Critical local needs — hunger, youth, support services in our communities
- Strategic partnership priorities — heart health, obesity, sustainable agriculture, diversity
|
- Focused, tailored approach
to community service that is
aligned with the Campbell
family of brands, our local
communities, and the most
pressing priorities on which
Campbell can have the
greatest impact
|
Governments, Policy Makers
| Stakeholder |
Interactions |
Types of Issues |
Strategic Benefits |
Governments, Policy Makers |
- Campbell Public Policy Committee sets priorities
- Direct engagement on issues important to Campbell business
- Regulatory affairs employees at plant and international sites
- Significant monitoring and communication activities
|
- Food safety, quality, labeling
- Regional priorities
- Health, wellness and nutrition policy
|
- Credible and authentic relationships with policy makers
- Consistent policy positions globally
- Building a reputation as a trusted source of industry perspective
|
