Sanitarium
Health food manufacturers and promoters
Sanitarium Australia is owned and operated by Australians while Sanitarium New Zealand is owned and operated by New Zealanders. Sanitarium is wholly owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Overall

Owned AUS
Rating D
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

Australian Health & Nutrition Association Ltd
AUS
Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD)
owns 100% of Australian Health & Nutrition Association Ltd
AUS
Religious institution
The South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are the owners and operators of Sanitarium Health Food Company.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Oct 2024)
Australian Health & Nutrition Association Ltd
Praise
3/5 for packaging performance
This company received a packaging performance level of 3 (Advanced) in its 2024 APCO Annual Report. Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. Each year, APCO Members are required to submit an APCO Annual Report and Action Plan, which includes an overall performance level from 1 (Getting Started) to 5 (Beyond Best Practice).
Source: APCO (2024)
Criticism
Renewable energy use
Greenpeace's Reenergise campaign ranks Australia's biggest electricity using companies on their commitments and actions regarding renewable energy use. This company has: not committed to powering their operations by 100% renewable electricity by 2030; not signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy power from a wind or solar project; not invested in on-site solar.
Palm oil rating - WAZA
The PalmOil Scan app, produced by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), rates companies on their commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Companies are scored on their use of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO), commitment to sourcing CSPO, on-the-ground conservation action, and membership to the RSPO. Companies can earn a rating of Excellent, Good, Poor or No Commitment. This company is rated "Poor" (retrieved 18 Nov 2023).
Source: WAZA (2023)
Information
Palm oil free products
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's products contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). For more details, follow the link to see Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia's list of products which manufacturers have told them are palm oil free or contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil.
Palm oil claims
Follow link to see this company's palm oil statement.
Organic products
This company manufactures or distributes products that are certified organic under the Australian Certified Organic label.
Source: ACO (2022)
RCMI signatory
This company is a signatory to the Responsible Children's Marketing Initiative (RCMI), which is managed by the Australian Food & Grocery Council and covers products found in retail outlets. Companies that have signed up to the initiative commit to: only advertising healthier choices to children and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through good diet and physical activity; not paying for or seeking product placement television programs, editorial content or interactive games aimed at children, unless the product is a healthier choice; not advertising and marketing to children in Australian schools unless they are asked to by those schools.
Source: AANA (2023)
Monkey-free coconuts
Monkeys in Thailand are kept chained, trained using abusive methods, and forced to climb trees to pick coconuts used for coconut milk, oil, and other products. This company has policies of sourcing from farms where no monkey labour is used.
Partial tax exemption
As Sanitarium is owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, they are not required to pay company profit tax. Sanitarium pays all other local, state and federal taxes that apply to Australian companies including payroll tax, fringe benefits tax, stamp duty and GST. All profits go to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia, who use much of it for charitable purposes.
Registered charity
Sanitarium is a registered charity and is endorsed by the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC) and the Australia Tax Office as income tax exempt.
Source: ACNC (2024)
Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD)
Information
Anti-gay stance
Seventh-day Adventists believe that sexual intimacy belongs only within the marital relationship of a man and a woman, and that homosexual practices are contrary to God's expressed will.
Registered charity
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia is a registered charity and is endorsed by the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC).
Source: ACNC (2024)

Company Details

Type:
Unlisted public company
Revenue:
300 million AUD (2015)
Employees:
1,700 (2015)

Contact Details

Address:
1 Sanitarium Drive, Berkeley Vale, NSW, 2261, Australia
Phone:
02 4348 7777
Freecall:
1800 673 392
Website:
www.sanitarium.com.au

Products / Brands

Sanitarium
Alternative Dairy Co Soy/Plant Milk
Alternative Meat Co Vegetarian & Vegan
Marmite Yeast Spread
Plantwell Soy/Plant Milk
Sanitarium Cereal
Sanitarium Peanut/Nut Butter
So Good Tofu/Soy
So Good Ice Cream
So Good Vegetarian & Vegan
So Good Soy/Plant Milk
Up & Go Flavoured Milk
Up & Go Breakfast On the Go
Vegie Delights Vegetarian & Vegan
Weet-Bix Cereal
★ some products certified organic