HelloFresh scales ethical trade across a global food supply chain with Sedex
HelloFresh is a global digital-native FMCG company and the world’s leading meal kit provider, working with thousands of suppliers across multiple regions and product categories. As the business grew, so did the need to expand their existing approach and processes for ethical trade and worker welfare.
In 2022, HelloFresh set out to scale its Ethical Trading Strategy across all business units across 18 markets. To do this, they expanded their existing partnership with Sedex, choosing a recognised platform that could offer a validated method for risk assessment, match their global footprint, and engage suppliers at speed.
This focus on ethical trading is directly linked to HelloFresh’s broader mission. As Alexandra notes,
“Our mission to change the way people eat forever is fundamentally connected to the welfare of the individuals working across our value chains. Sedex Supplier Engagement enabled us to get one step closer to that mission.”
Alexandra Kunde, International Ethical Trade Manager, HelloFresh
The challenge
HelloFresh was already consistently working on improving worker wellbeing in their value chain. But the company’s growth meant their supply chains were becoming far more complex.
Different business units including: meal kits, ready-to-heat products and pet food operated across multiple regions, from North America to Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
To keep pace, the company’s previous ethical trade work needed to be expanded and embedded into business frameworks and processes in a structured, scalable way.
HelloFresh looked for a partner that could help them:
- Further integrate ethical trading into existing processes
- Support onboarding for hundreds of suppliers
- Screen risk at scale across global regions
- Strengthen their long-term Ethical Trading Strategy
Sedex’s trusted reputation, global coverage, retailer alignment and cost competitiveness made it a natural fit for HelloFresh’s ambition.
The solution
To achieve this, HelloFresh implemented a two-folded approach, as explained by Alexandra Kunde, International Ethical Trading Manager at HelloFresh:
1. Embedding ethical trading into existing teams: Ingredient supplier related ethical trading responsibilities were consistently embedded into the frameworks and roles of existing teams. This includes Sedex compliance, risk level checks and preventive actions implementation for new ingredient suppliers.
2. A structured global supplier onboarding programme: Sedex supported HelloFresh through a multi-wave Supplier Engagement Programme, designed to rapidly onboard suppliers and build understanding. This included
- 11 onboarding waves – each achieving more than 70% success rates
- Close collaboration between Sedex and HelloFresh team to resolve challenges
- Insight into supplier feedback to understand resistance or barriers
- Within the Sedex Engagement programme for the UK, 100% of in‑scope direct suppliers were registered on Sedex, with 91% completing the Self‑Assessment Questionnaire.
- 647 suppliers onboarded within the 12 weeks of the programme
The results
The partnership delivered great visibility into supply chain risk and provided strategic insight. Large-scale supplier coverage
- 91% Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) completion, enabling comprehensive screening of labour, safety and ethical risk
- Risk data feeds into HelloFresh’s annual assessment and prevention action planning
Stronger integration and future-proofing
By expanding existing processes through structurally embedding ethical trade checks into existing roles at scale, HelloFresh strengthened the quality and consistency of future supplier assessments.
Deeper insight for strategic action
Sedex SAQs, risk assessments and audit results are used by HelloFresh to:
- Screen ethical risk across the supply chain and take targeted prevention action based on that
- Support the supplier onboarding process
- Identify suppliers with critical issues for immediate action
The Conclusion
HelloFresh’s partnership with Sedex shows how ethical trade can be scaled efficiently across a global, fast-growing supply chain. With integrated processes, structured supplier onboarding and trusted data, HelloFresh has strengthened its Ethical Trading Strategy to be ready for the future.
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