Coporate Governance and Ethical Operation

Global Operating Principles
Heinz’s Global Operating Principles, in place since 2003, were developed based upon three widely-respected documents: The Sullivan Principles, the U.N. Global Compact, and the International Labor Organization’s Human Rights Principles. The Heinz Principles express our unwavering commitment to safe and fair treatment of all employees, protection of the environment, and respect for cultural, ethnic, religious, political, and philosophical differences among people. These principles apply to all Heinz employees and facilities, and each Heinz affiliate is required to certify compliance and agree to monitoring by internal auditors.

Supplier Guiding Principles
Heinz has approximately 8,000 domestic and 35,000 international suppliers. The Company’s Supplier Guiding Principles require our suppliers, co-packers, and joint venture partners to comply with local labor and environmental laws. For example, Heinz expects its suppliers to protect the health and safety of their workers and to refrain from hiring anyone under the legal age for employment. Suppliers are asked to certify their compliance with our principles at our request, and Heinz also conducts unannounced on-site inspections to verify compliance.

When a supplier is not in compliance, we take appropriate action on a case-by-case basis, and work with suppliers to correct deficiencies, conduct follow-up audits, and, if appropriate, terminate relationships.

Heinz is attaching the Supplier Guiding Principles to all new and renewed contracts with suppliers of goods and services, including contractors, co-packers, and joint venture partners around the world. Almost all of our contracts in the United States already include these guidelines. We certify suppliers’ compliance with these principles and maintain regular communication through proprietary software.

In 2007, we established a Global Supply Chain Task Force led by Scott O’Hara, President and CEO of Heinz Europe. The task force’s primary objective is to enhance the Company’s competitive advantage by improving coordination and reporting systems across the supply chain, and to harmonize global processes and benefit from Heinz’s scale among suppliers. As a result, we expect to improve our return on fixed assets while reducing the environmental impact of our operations. The task force also is exploring additional opportunities for global manufacturing optimization, and plays a part in ensuring that suppliers share the same principles as Heinz regarding compliance.

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Copyright © 2007 H.J. Heinz Company. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

About the Cover: Heinz tomatoes around the globe are grown from seeds specifically bred through traditional means by our talented team of experts based in California. Reuben Peterson (left), the leader of Heinz’s global tomato research and tomato supply chain team, surveys the summer 2007 Heinz tomato crop with Stuart Woolf, president of Woolf Farming Co. and managing partner of Los Gatos Tomato Products, Huron, Calif. Woolf Farming Co. is one of Heinz’s lead tomato suppliers in the U.S.

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