Code of Conduct
The Orskov Food’s fundamental business principle is to create long-term success for our owners, to be sustainable, and ultimately create value for society. We want to offer healthy, nutritious, safe, and high quality products to our consumers, while applying fair practices in terms of human rights, non-discrimination, child labor, forced and compulsory labor, rights of association, anti-corruption, anti-competitive behavior as defined by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). We act with integrity, loyalty, honesty, and in full compliance with all applicable laws.
We expect our group entities and business partners to work out their policies in accordance with these principles and require our employees around the world to uphold and live this commitment every day!
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We aim at enhancing the quality of life for our consumers by offering healthy, nutritious, and delicious food choices. Thereby, we are using healthy ingredients and avoid unnecessary additives. We incorporate the latest scientific evidence, technology, and food safety trends and steer our actions to scientifically supported health claims. In our marketing communication we represent our foods in a way that does not mislead nor encourage over-consumption. On infant foods in particular, we abstain from targeting our advertisement to children less than 6 years of age.
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Our commitment is to comply with all internal and external food safety, regulatory, and quality requirements. We never compromise on the safety of our products, to ensure the consumer gets a product which is safe and of high standards. Our quality policies and management systems are designed to drive and control activities and processes along the supply chain, “from the farm to the fork”, ensuring at all times that the products we offer are delicious, nutritious, healthy and safe.
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We are guided by the United Nations Global Compact’s (UNGC) principles on human rights and labour and aim to provide an example of good human rights and labour practices throughout our business activities. Like the UNGC, we mainly draw on the International Labour Organizations (ILO) conventions for labour related topics.
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We do not discriminate based on gender, age, health, race, skin color, nationality, language, family circumstances, social origin, religion, creed, political opinion, physical or mental disability. Opportunities are offered in a non-discriminating way, only according to required skills and performance. Thus, an individual’s employment with the Company, including all subsequent changes in work assignment, is determined solely by the individual’s ability to perform the job and independent from above-mentioned idiosyncrasies.
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We support the ILO’s recommended minimum age for admission to employment of not less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and not less than 15 years, unless in cases that fall under any of the ILO exceptions (explicit developing country national laws, light work, activities referred to by the special ILO conventions, e.g. for agriculture C10, non-industrial C33, fishing C112, etc.). Totally unacceptable are any types of work as dubbed “the worst forms of child labour” by the ILO.
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We totally reject any form of forced and compulsory labour, for example, where workers are forced into work with severe deprivations, physical violence or sexual abuse, or restricting people’s movements. The bottom line is that a work relationship should be freely chosen and free from threats.
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We believe that our employees are our most important asset. The proactive elimination of accidents, injuries, and illness is a way of life at Hero. By accepting the mutual responsibility of working safely, we will continue reducing injuries and illnesses toward zero incidents, thereby, contribute to the well-being of one another and the success of the Company. We demand our group entities to locally implement clear health and safety rules, in line with local regulations and certification standards as claimed.
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We recognize the freedoms to associate and to negotiate collectively in line with applicable national laws. In specific this means that workers are able to join unions of their choice without fear of intimidation, reprisal or discrimination, in accordance with national law.
· UNGC 3
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Following the UNGC principles, we work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery.
· UNGC AC
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We believe in open and competitive markets and ourselves adhere to free competition principles, not engaging in restrictive practices or abusing dominant positions. In concrete, we will not participate in cartels, price fixing agreements, arranged market divisions, or unapproved mergers/acquisitions. We acknowledge that beyond the national laws and regulations also supranational guidelines (EU, ICN, OECD, WTO) are to be considered.
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We proactively undertake initiatives to promote environmental responsibility and encourage development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Thereby, we specifically address our energy consumption with its implied Green House Gas footprint, water consumption, waste water, and environmental impact of packaging.
· UNGC ENV
Keeping word and always being open to new initiatives was Niels Ørskov Christensen senior’s promise, when he started to do business with the fruit growers of Funen in 1943. And this still in the core of our work.