COFCO
Food processor
Chinese state-owned enterprise, and China's largest food processor, manufacturer and trader.

Overall

Owned CHN
Rating F
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

China Oil and Food Corporation
CHN
Government of the People's Republic of China
owns 100% of China Oil and Food Corporation
CHN
Communist government
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the Chinese Communist Party, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army. In recent years China has been consolidating it's state-owned assets and inviting private investors to invest (often family members of high ranking government officials), however in most cases the government retains control and majority ownership. We have listed State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) simply as subsidiaries of China's government, although in reality company ownership is often more complex.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Aug 2024)
China Oil and Food Corporation
Criticism
Supply chain practices in China
The Green Supply Chain Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI) evaluates consumer-facing companies that have a sizeable supply chain in China. The evaluation uses government supervision data and public information to assess the environmental management of their supply chains in China. This company received a score of 7.22/100 (retrieved 24 Nov 2023).
Source: IPE (2023)
0.5/20 in Social Benchmark
The 2024 Social Benchmark assesses the world's 2,000 most influential companies on their responsibility in meeting society's fundamental expectations towards three measurement areas: respecting human rights, providing decent work, and acting ethically. This company was assessed in 2023 and received a score of 0.5/20. The average score was an alarmingly low 4.6/20 and the highest score was 15.5/20.
FAIRR Protein Producer Index
The Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index is a comprehensive assessment of how this sector is managing critical sustainability risks factors: GHGs; deforestation and biodiversity; water scarcity; water pollution; antibiotics; animal welfare; working conditions; food safety. This company was rated as high risk.
2.4% in Food and Agriculture Benchmark
The 2023 Food and Agriculture Benchmark assessed 350 keystone companies across the entirety of the food system, from farm to fork. It covers three dimensions where transformation is needed: nutrition, environment and social inclusion. This company ranked #300/350, with a total score of 2.4/100.
2.5% in Nature Benchmark
The Nature Benchmark ranks 816 companies across 20 industries on their efforts to protect our environment and its biodiversity. Companies were assessed in three phases between 2022 and 2024 using three measurement areas: governance and strategy; social inclusion and community impact; and ecosystems and biodiversity. This company was assessed in 2023 and is ranked #697/816, with a total score of 2.5/100.
31.6% in Forest 500 Rankings
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This company received a score of 31.6%.
Government of the People's Republic of China
Criticism
Investing in single-use plastic waste
This company is the world's 2th largest equity owner of companies producing single-use plastic waste, according to Minderoo Foundation's 2021 Plastic Waste Makers Index. Institutional asset managers and global banks are providing billions of dollars to companies that produce polymers from fossil fuels, as much as 100 times more than they provide to companies trying to shift to a circular economy. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest, most urgent threats facing our planet and our health.
Human rights abuse
Amnesty International's 2020 report on China states "The year was marked by harsh crackdowns on human rights defenders and people perceived to be dissidents, as well as the systematic repression of ethnic minorities. The beginning of the year saw the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, which killed more than 4,600 people in China. People demanded freedom of expression and transparency after authorities reprimanded health professionals for warning about the virus. At the UN, China was strongly criticized and urged to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang. Stringent restrictions on freedom of expression continued unabated. Foreign journalists faced detention and expulsion, as well as systematic delays to and refusals of visa renewals. Chinese and other tech firms operating outside China blocked what the government deemed politically sensitive content, extending its censorship standards internationally. China enacted its first Civil Code, which received thousands of submissions by the public calling for legalization of same-sex marriage. Hong Kong’s National Security Law led to a clampdown on freedom of expression." Follow the link for further details.
Treatment of Uyghurs
Amnesty International's 2021 report 'Like We Were Enemies in a War', outlines how Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region face systematic state-organized mass imprisonment, torture and persecution amounting to crimes against humanity. Muslim ethnic groups are being forced to abandon their religious traditions, cultural practices and local languages.
Human rights abuse
According to Human Rights Watch: "China's one-party authoritarian state under the Chinese Communist Party systemically curbs fundamental rights. Under President Xi Jinping, in power since 2013, the government has deepened repression at home and sought to muzzle critics abroad. It has arbitrarily detained human rights defenders and lawyers, tightened control over civil society, media, and the internet, and deployed invasive mass surveillance technology. The government imposes particularly heavy-handed control in the ethnic minority regions of Xinjiang and Tibet. The government's cultural persecution and arbitrary detention of a million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims since 2017 constitute crimes against humanity. In Hong Kong, the government imposed draconian national security legislation in 2020 and systematically curbed the city's freedoms. The government initially covered up the Covid-19 outbreak and later hindered international efforts to investigate the virus's origin."
Information
Wikipedia profile
Follow the link to see Wikipedia's article on the government of the People's Republic of China.

Company Details

Type:
State-owned enterprise
Subsidiaries:
China Mengniu Dairy Company Ltd (21% owned)
Dairy
One of China's largest dairy product manufacturers. Operates 38 production bases in China and one in New Zealand. Major shareholders include Chinese state-owned COFCO, and European dairy giant Arla. Danone sold its 10% stake in 2021. Became a player in Australia's dairy industry after acquiring Burra Foods in 2016 and Bellamy's Organic in 2019.
Bellamy's Organic Pty Ltd
Organic baby foods
Producer of 100% Australian made organic foods, especially baby formula. Established in Launceston, Tasmania in 2004 as a family-operated company. After a couple of changes in ownership the company was bought for $1.5 billion by China Mengniu Dairy Co in 2019. The company exports to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and New Zealand.
Shanghai Milkground Food Tech Co Ltd (24% owned)
Dairy, mining and manufacturing
Founded 1988. Primarily involved in dairy, the company is also engaged in mining and manufacturing in China. Acquired WA's Brownes Dairy from Australian private equity firm Archer Capital in Nov 2017. China Mengniu Dairy increased its stake to 23.8% in Dec 2020.
Brownes Foods Operations Pty Ltd
Dairy and juice producers
Est 1886. Brownes is the largest buyer of farmgate milk in Western Australia, collecting and processing approximately 40% of the state's milk production. The business operates two manufacturing plants in Balcatta (Perth) and Brunswick and has WA's most extensive chilled distribution network. In 2011 Australian private equity firm Archer Capital acquired Brownes, and sold it to a Chinese consortium led by dairy manufacturer Shanghai Milkground Food Tech in 2017.

Contact Details

Address:
Beijing, China
Website:
www.cofco.com/en/

Products / Brands

Bellamy's Organic (21% owned)
Bellamy's Baby Formula
★ certified organic
Bellamy's Baby Food
★ certified organic