Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps we have taken to ensure that our business as well as our supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking during the financial year ending December 2024.
Introduction
Solina is committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking occurring in any of its corporate activities, as well as seeking to ensure that our supply chains are also free from such practices.
Our organisational structure and operations
Solina UK Trading Limited, Essential Cuisine Limited, Solina Coatings UK Limited (formerly known as Bowman Ingredients Limited), Knysna (NI) Ltd T/A Rich Sauces and Zafron Foods Limited are manufacturers of mayonnaises, sauces, gravies, bouillons and cereal-based food coating systems. These UK based businesses are owned by Solina Group, headquartered in France. Solina Group is a leading producer of savoury solutions for the food industry, with expertise in seasoning, wet sauces, plant-based applications, and functional meat solutions in UK, mainland Europe, North America and Canada.
The UK businesses source raw materials and packaging from many regions around the world, the majority of which come from within Europe.
We employ around 700 people in the UK across sites in Cheshire, West Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Newtownards.
We have a combinued annual turnover of circa £220 million.
Policies relating to slavery and human trafficking
The Solina Supplier Code of Conduct ensures awareness of human rights and modern slavery considerations throughout our supply chain.
The Solina Code of Ethics reflects our commitment to implementing and enforcing effective procedures and controls to minimise the risks of human trafficking and other modern slavery practices infiltrating our business operations or supply chains, and to acting ethically and with integrity in our business activities and relationships.
Through a Supplier Approval Procedure, we ensure that our suppliers are aware of our policies including the Solina Supplier Code of Conduct. We continue to work towards ensuring all our raw material suppliers are members of a supply chain management platform, SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) and/or EcoVadis.
Our policies have been based on the Ethical Trading Initiative base code which is founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organisation and is an internationally recognised code of labour practice.
Risk assessment
Through the SEDEX and platform and our own supplier audit procedure we assess which of our own activities and supply chains represent the highest risks in respect of slavery or human trafficking. We recognise there is a risk of modern slavery in all parts of the supply chain from where raw materials are made or grown through to the workers manufacturing our products.
To mitigate this risk, we have a system of checks and controls in place to identify highrisk areas in our supply chain. Depending on the risk assessment of the manufacturer's operation we may use self-assessment questionnaires, SEDEX registrations, SMETA and/or third-party audits or audits by a Solina team which may include visits to supplier's manufacturing sites. We will also consider suppliers use of the initiatives of Stronger Together and the standards of the British Retail Consortium.
We are committed to working with labour providers who understand that they are on the frontline of combatting modern slavery and have robust recruitment processes in place to prevent slavery and human trafficking.
Our labour providers are licensed by the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and licences are checked annually.
We aim to encourage openness and will support anyone who raises genuine concerns in good faith even if they turn out to be mistaken. We are committed to ensuring no detrimental effect is suffered by anybody who reports a suspicion of modern slavery in any part of our business or our supply chain. Concerns can be raised through our Whistleblowing Policy. The Solina Whistleblowing Group Policy includes facility to anonymously report concerns via an anonymous online reporting portal and telephone line, Your Voice Matters, operated by an independent third-party.
Actions undertaken in 2024
Further online training has been carried out on Solina Group's Code of Ethics.
Solina engaged a management consultancy specializing in ethical trade, responsible sourcing and human rights to carry out a due diligence gap analysis across the business starting in June 2024, to include interviews with internal stakeholders as well as external benchmarking.
Actions for coming year
The Solina Sustainability Committee requires all Solina sites to be onboarded into the SEDEX platform with completion of the Self-Assessment Questionnaire in 2025. A Solina wide risk map will inform the Human Rights roadmap for Selina's own operation and the action plan to be followed to meet the expectations of key stakeholders and key regulations.
Lorraine Muller
Managing Director UK & Ireland
