Simplot Australia
Food manufacturing
One of Australia's largest food processors. Simplot Australia was founded in 1995 when the J R Simplot Company acquired some of Australia's favourite food brand businesses including Edgell, Chiko, Birds Eye, Harvest and Leggo's. Acquired Chicken Tonight, Raguletto and Five Brothers from Symington's Australia in 2016.

Overall

Owned USA
Rating F
About the Ratings

Company Ownership

Simplot Australia (Holdings) Pty Ltd
AUS
J R Simplot Company
owns 100% of Simplot Australia (Holdings) Pty Ltd
USA
Global food and agribusiness conglomerate
Simplot produces more than 1.5 million pounds of french fries annually, making it one of the world's largest processors of frozen potatoes. Customers include McDonalds, Burger King and Wendys.

Company Assessment

(Last updated Oct 2024)
Simplot Australia (Holdings) Pty Ltd
Praise
5/5 for packaging performance
This company received the highest packaging performance level of 5 (Beyond Best Practice) 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)
Information
Political donations
According to the democracyforsale.net website, this company donated $70,000 to Australia's major political parties between 2012 and 2018, as disclosed to the Australian Electoral Commision (AEC).
Misleading labelling
in 2020 Simplot agreed to change its country of origin labelling on 31 frozen fish products from 'Made in Australia' to 'Packed in Australia', following concerns raised by the ACCC. Following compliance checks across a range of frozen foods, the ACCC was concerned that the products displayed a 'Made in Australia' mark when the imported frozen fish may not have been substantially transformed in Australia.
Source: ACCC (2020)
Organic products
This company manufactures or distributes products that are certified organic under the Australian Certified Organic label.
Source: ACO (2022)
MSC certified products
This company sells products which are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
Source: MSC (2024)
Palm oil free products
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's frozen food 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.
Global Packaging Award winner
The WorldStar Competition is one of the major events of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) and is the pre-eminent global award in packaging. This company won a WorldStar Global Packaging Award in 2022 for its Edgell Supa Crunch Delivery Carton.
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)
Green rating in Canned Tuna Guide
Second highest rating in Greenpeace's Canned Tuna Guide. "John West ranked 2nd this year. It has made big improvements since we started the Guide and is now one of the better choices for responsibly fished tuna. John West is continuing to improve its sustainability practices and has met its commitment to source only FAD-free tuna. John West has a good traceability and sourcing policy and all of its tuna is MSC certified. John West is also engaged in a sustainability project in the Pacific that aims to improve environmental and social outcomes for coastal communities. A positive example of what can be achieved when a company takes sustainability seriously." [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Dolphin safe
This company is listed by the Earth Island Institute as an approved dolphin-safe tuna processing company. This company has pledged to abide by the Earth Island international 'Dolphin Safe' tuna standards of no encirclement of dolphins or other marine mammals during an entire fishing trip, no accidental deaths or serious injuries of any dolphins, and no use of drift gill nets.
Good Egg Award 2014
The RSPCA Good Egg Awards acknowledge major companies that make the switch to cage-free eggs. This company was awarded a Good Egg Award in 2014 for their commitment to sourcing only cage-free eggs when used as direct ingredients for iconic brands such as Leggo's and Lean Cuisine.
Cage-free eggs commitment
This company is listed on the RSPCA Australia website as 'cage-free and proud', signifying a commitment to source 100% cage-free eggs. Essentially cage-free means barn laid, which is better than cage eggs, but still much worse than free-range or organic eggs when it comes to animal welfare.
Sustainable Seafood partnership with WWF
In Feb 2012 John West Australia (part of Simplot Australia) announced a new Sustainable Seafood partnership with WWF Australia. The partnership commits John West Australia to WWF's Global Sustainable Seafood Charter and features key milestones for John West to meet. In 2016 John West launched MSC-certified sustainable skipjack tuna, and they are continuing to migrate other branded products to MSC and ASC certified sustainable sources.
Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website including the areas of respect for resources, reducing operational impact and community involvement. For link for more info including Sustainability Report from 2012 and 2014.
Modern Slavery disclosure quality
Human Rights Law Centre's 2022 report, "Broken Promises: Two years of corporate reporting under Australia's Modern Slavery Act", examines statements submitted to the Government's Modern Slavery Register by 92 companies sourcing from four sectors with known risks of modern slavery: garments from China, rubber gloves from Malaysia, seafood from Thailand and fresh produce from Australia. Modern slavery statements are analysed to see if they comply with the mandatory reporting requirements, identify or disclose obvious modern slavery risks, and demonstrate effective actions to address risks. This company's modern slavery disclosure statement received a rating in the 31-40% range. The average score was 44% and the highest score was 89%.
J R Simplot Company
Criticism
3.5/20 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 3.5/20. The average score was an alarmingly low 4.6/20 and the highest score was 15.5/20.
6.5% 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 #262/350, with a total score of 6.5/100.
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 #641/816, with a total score of 5/100.
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
Water pollution in USA
Named in Conde Nast Portfolio's 'The Toxic Ten': In 2007, USA's EPA determined that a Simplot factory was the main source of a potentially deadly amount of phosphorus dumped into the Portneuf River.
Water pollution in China
In 2015 this company was fined a record US$632,370 by Chinese authorities for water pollution. A local Beijing regulator found that Simplot's China processing unit had been discharging contaminated wastewater that exceeded acceptable levels. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website.
OpenSecrets.org profile
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.

Company Details

Type:
Wholly-owned subsidiary
Revenue:
1.5 billion AUD (2019)
Employees:
2,220 (2019)

Contact Details

Address:
Chifley Business Park, 2 Chifley Drive, Mentone, VIC, 3194, Australia
Phone:
03 9588 3000
Freecall:
1800 061 279
Website:
www.simplot.com.au

Products / Brands

Simplot Australia
Ally Canned Fish
Bird's Eye Frozen Fish
★ some products MSC certified
Bird's Eye Frozen Vegies/Chips
Birds Eye Frozen Meals/Pizza
Chicken Tonight Cooking Sauce
Chiko Finger Food
Colonial Farm Finger Food
Edgell Packet Meals
Edgell Canned Vegies/Beans
Edgell Pasta Sauce
Five Tastes Asian
Harvest Canned Meat/Meals
I & J Frozen Fish
I & J Finger Food
John West Canned Fish (Tuna)
John West Savoury Spread
John West Frozen Fish
John West Canned Fish
★ some products certified MSC
Leggo's Fresh Pasta
Leggo's Packet Meals
Leggo's Pasta Sauce
★ some products certified organic
Leggo's Pickles, Chutney & Relish
Neptune Frozen Fish
Providore Pasta Sauce
Seakist Canned Fish (Tuna)
Simplot Australia / Unilever Australia (brand owner)
Five Brothers Pasta Sauce
Raguletto Fresh Pasta
Raguletto Pasta Sauce