Modern Slavery Statement

Introduction
We (Nationwide Produce PLC) are a wholly owned subsidiary of Nationwide Produce Holdings PLC. The company has five business locations in England, one in Northern Ireland, one in Ireland, two in the Netherlands and one in Spain. Our main business activities are the purchase, supply and distribution of fresh produce throughout the UK and Europe.

Our Policies
Our policies demonstrate that we do not tolerate any kind of slavery, servitude, forced labour, compulsory labour or human trafficking. We believe our policies allow our employees to identify and report any concerns about modern slavery in an appropriate and safe way, without putting themselves or those affected at risk.

Policies

  • Human rights
  • Equal opportunities
  • Anti-bribery
  • Bullying and harassment
  • Grievances
  • Whistleblowing

Due Diligence and Risk Management
We recognise that in some areas of our business model, there is potentially a high risk of modern slavery. To mitigate these risks, we have introduced compliance checks and procedures.

Agency Workers
All agencies that provide us with warehouse labour must:

  • have a Modern Slavery Statement; and
  • show that they have clear policies and procedures for responding to any signs of modern slavery or human trafficking.

We are committed to working proactively with our providers to improve our knowledge and strengthen our ability to recognise and report concerns.

Our suppliers
Within our business model, our global supply base has the highest potential for modern slavery. Therefore, we hold meetings with organisations in our supply chain where we can communicate openly to assess supply areas with a high potential for risk. We recognise that audits alone will not identify all instances of modern slavery, so building trusting relationships with suppliers is vital for identifying and tackling the risks.

Training
We actively promote the Stronger2Gether initiative, and our senior managers have engaged in training programmes to enable us to understand, recognise and react appropriately to incidents of modern slavery. Al new employees watch the Stronger2Gether video on forced labour as part of their induction, and we display the Stonger2Gether posters in six different languages throughout our sites to reinforce the message.

Next steps to prevent Modern Slavery
We believe that leadership makes all the difference in an effective response. We have provided training on modern slavery to directors, managers and supervisors, while encouraging people from a variety of backgrounds and different nationalities to be actively involved.

At our depots and in our procurement teams, senior managers are responsible for ensuring compliance with our policies and upholding our position of zero tolerance of any kind of slavery, servitude, forced labour, compulsory labour or human trafficking.

Our focus over the next year will be to continue working closely with our colleagues and suppliers to identify and deal with modern slavery and human trafficking.

Key performance indicators for tackling modern slavery
To assess the effectiveness of the steps we are taking, we will monitor the following key performance indicators:

  • Conduct an ethical audit of all high-risk suppliers.
  • Providing more frequent training for managers and supervisors at all depots.
  • Train all senior procurement staff in recognising the risks of modern slavery within the supply chain.
  • Continue to use employee engagement surveys.

This statement was approved by the Board of Nationwide Produce PLC on 5th June 2023.


Tim O’Malley
Group Managing Director