Manassen Foods
Food importer and marketer
Manassen Foods markets many leading consumer brands including Trident. In April 2006 Manassen Foods acquired The Great Southern Foods group, King Oscar and Hutchinsons (NZ), and turned the business into a new company with CHAMP Pty Ltd having a 51 per cent stake. Bought Sunbeam Foods in 2007. China's Bright Food bought 75% of the company in late 2011.

Overall

Owned CHN
Rating F
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

Manassen Foods Australia Pty Ltd
AUS
Bright Food (Group) Co Ltd
owns 75% of Manassen Foods Australia Pty Ltd
CHN
Large food conglomerate
State-owned Bright Food was established in 2006 amid a series of mergers and consolidations of Chinese state-owned assets, and today is China's largest food company. Shanghai's municipal government is the company's controlling stakeholder. Acquired 75% of Manassen Foods in Nov 2011.
Government of the People's Republic of China
owns 100% of Bright Food (Group) Co Ltd
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)
Manassen Foods Australia Pty Ltd
Praise
4/5 for packaging performance
This company received a packaging performance level of 4 (Leading) 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
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 "No Commitment" (retrieved 18 Nov 2023).
Source: WAZA (2023)
Information
Palm oil free products
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's products are palm oil free. 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.
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.
Bright Food (Group) Co Ltd
Criticism
0% 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 0%.
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 6/100 (retrieved 24 Nov 2023).
Source: IPE (2023)
0/20 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 0/20. The average score was an alarmingly low 4.6/20 and the highest score was 15.5/20.
0% 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 #323/350, with a total score of 0/100.
0% 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 #750/816, with a total score of 0/100.
0% in Seafood Stewardship Index
The 2023 Seafood Stewardship Index ranks the world's 30 largest seafood companies across four measurement areas: governance and strategy, ecosystems, traceability and social responsibility. This company ranked #29/30, with a total score of 0/100.
Information
Ownership
The registered capital of Bright Group is 3.43 billion RMB, in which State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Shanghai Municipal Government (Shanghai SASAC) accounts for 50.43%, Shanghai DaSheng Holdings Co., Ltd. invests 20.41%, and each of Shanghai State-owned Assets Operation Co., Ltd., SHENERGY Group, Shanghai International Group, Shanghai industrial Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. and Shanghai JiuShi holds 5.832% respectively.
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:
Private company
Subsidiaries:
Sunbeam Foods Pty Ltd
Dried fruit processors
Established in 1926. Acquired Angus Park Fruit company in 2004. Bought by Manassen Foods in 2007, which was bought by China's Bright Food in 2011.

Contact Details

Address:
8 Interchange Dr, Eastern Creek, NSW, 2766, Australia
Phone:
02 9421 3100
Freecall:
1800 888 606
Website:
www.manassen.com.au

Products / Brands

Manassen Foods
Angas Park Dried Fruit & Nuts
Chrystal Fresh Cheese
Diet Rite Herbs & Spices
Fruit For Life Dried Fruit & Nuts
Globus Pickles, Chutney & Relish
Golden Days Health Bars
King Oscar Canned Fish
Marion's Kitchen Asian
S & W Salad Dressing/Mayonnaise
S & W Topping & Syrup
Sunbeam Dried Fruit & Nuts
Trident Dried Fruit & Nuts
Trident Noodles
Trident Chilli/Hot Sauce
Trident Canned Vegies/Beans
Trident Soup
Trident Asian
Wokka Noodles
Wokka Packet Meals

Other related products

Premier Foods / Manassen Foods (distributor)
Oxo Stock
Sharwoods Cooking Sauce
Sharwoods Pickles, Chutney & Relish
Sharwoods Indian
Bel Group / Manassen Foods (importer/distributor)
Babybel Cheese
Kiri Cheese
Laughing Cow Cheese
Pladis / Manassen Foods (distributor) Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate / Manassen Foods (distributor)
Taylors of Harrogate Tea
Yorkshire Tea Tea
★ Rainforest Alliance certified
Unilever / Manassen Foods (distributor)
Conimex Soy/Asian Sauce
Conimex Asian
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