CSR Reporting in Food Industries

This study examines the tendency and extent of corporate social reporting (CSR) of the Food Industries. The study aimed to investigate what was being reported and how the information was delivered. The contents of the latest CSR reports of five companies from Taiwan and ten companies from other countries were coded by 48 indicators included across eight categories. The eight categories are environmental, human rights, labor practices, society, product responsibility, economic, nutrition, and animal welfare. The indicators are a combination of the latest GRI version, 4.0, GRI or G4, GRI food processing supplement, and the research results from previous research, Heikkurinen et al. (2012). The meaning of CSR reports in terms of balance, accuracy, clarity, and reliability were accessed in this study. It was found that each sampled company had their own approach and strategy toward CSR, and that the nature and the extent of the reporting process varied substantially. Only a minority of companies have disclosed information regarding nutrition and animal welfare. The average number of categories covered and the amount of information provided by the five selected companies from Taiwan were lower than the ten selected companies from other countries. Companies intended to only disclose the positive impacts they made on the environment and community. Most companies did well on the clarity and accuracy dimensions. They provided sufficient explanations tackling the main points that may be considered detailed enough for stakeholders to assess the reporting organization’s performance, and were easy for common people to understand. The reliability of the CSR reports could not be assessed easily due to the fact that the sample CSR reports were all self-reported.