Rheal Superfoods Ltd Modern Slavery Statement 2022

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the ‘Act’) is designed to combat modern slavery in the UK. The Act requires that all businesses must publish a statement which sets out the steps they have taken to ensure there is no modern slavery in their own business and in their supply chain.

Rheal Superfoods Ltd prioritises ethical business practices and has a zero tolerance approach to any instance of modern slavery. This includes all aspects of modern slavery including but not limited to slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced and compulsory labour.

We expect that all organisations which we work with also adopt and enforce their own policies to comply with the Act. This statement sets out to describe the steps our organisation has taken to reduce the risks of modern slavery both within our business and our associated supply chains.

 

Organisation Structure and Supply Chains

Rheal Superfoods Ltd produces natural superfood products including powdered superfood blends and superfood energy snack bars. We primarily sell these products online and direct to consumers, with some products being available to purchase from third party retailers also.

Our superfood ingredients are sourced from across the world. This enables us to bring customers rare and unique ingredients with specific health benefits, which would otherwise not be available in the UK. We have chosen our suppliers very carefully and only work with small, Organic farms which are environmentally sustainable. We work with external supply chains to source our ingredients, which means that we do not own the farms which produce these ingredients. 

We manufacture and package our own products in the UK. Our manufacturing and distribution team are based at our warehouse in Gateshead, UK. We also have a wider team of employees who work remotely from their own homes, throughout the UK.

Our products are made using 100% natural and plant-derived ingredients. These ingredients are sourced globally either directly from suppliers or via agents and distributors.

Product manufacturing is primarily conducted at our registered premises and is carried out by our in-house team. We also use selected UK third-party partners to help manufacture key products.

Both our direct and indirect supply chains include services which are not specific to the production and distribution of our products, but are concerned with the wider business operations including but not limited to marketing agencies, professional advisor fees and third-party logistics. These services are based primarily in the UK but can extend globally for any specialist services which are difficult to obtain domestically.

 

Policies in Relation to Slavery and Human Trafficking

Rheal Superfoods Ltd provides all employees with a safe, fair and ethical work environment which protects their human rights and prioritises integrity and transparency.

We have the following measures in place to support policies in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking.

• The minimum working age for all employees is 18 years
• Employment contracts protect fundamental rights in the workplace
• All employees receive the National Living Wage as a minimum, with pay and rewards reviewed annually
• Right to work in the UK checks are conducted pre-employment
• The Rheal Onboarding Handbook and Rheal Code of Conduct informs employees of our preferred way of working, including but not limited to:
• Conducting business in a fair way and treating each other with honesty and respect
• Maintaining a safe working environment which is free from discrimination
• A confidential whistleblowing procedure for employees to raise concerns about anything they feel is outside of the Rheal way of working

All new employees complete an induction which includes a solid understanding of the Rheal Handbook and Rheal Code of Conduct

We ask and expect all employees to support our commitment to identify the risks of modern slavery and to help tackle it.

Due Diligence, Risk Assessment and Management Processes

Rheal Superfoods Ltd has identified the biggest risk of modern slavery to be our global ingredient supply chain. As such, we have an increased focus on the associated issues in these areas.

We undertake the following actions as part of our supplier approval process to prevent modern slavery in our supply chain.

• Since 2022, all new suppliers are required to sign the Rheal Superfoods Ltd Supplier Code of Conduct. This specifies Rheal’s requirements with regard to the protection of human rights and environmental impact.
  
  
• Since 2022, failure to adhere to the Supplier Code of Conduct may result in termination of the supply agreement.

Key Performance Indicators to Ensure Effectiveness of Processes

In 2023 we plan to expand our existing key performance indicators for modern slavery to include risk ratings for modern slavery and human trafficking, for all countries which supply our ingredients.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of this we are in the process of joining Sedex, an organisation which empowers responsible supply chains. Based on the level of risk identified, we will determine action plans for each ingredient sourced from a country of origin that is deemed high risk.

We will also be expanding the requirement for relevant certifications from our manufacturing, logistics and packaging suppliers in relation to ethical conduct.

Our principal measure of performance will be the number of suppliers which hold an internationally recognised and independently verified ethical certification.

 

Training on Modern Slavery and Trafficking

All employees discuss modern slavery risks and the importance of these as part of their induction training.

Employees involved in procurement activities receive additional ethical sourcing training, to ensure a deeper understanding of modern slavery and that Rheal’s compliance with the Act is achieved.

 

Thank You for Reading

We really appreciate you taking the time to read our Modern Slavery Statement and hope that you have found it to be both useful and reassuring.

At Rheal Superfoods we take our privileged position to help tackle modern slavery very seriously and compliance with the Act is an intergal part of our overarching ethical aims.

This statement is made in relation to Section 54 (1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our modern slavery statement for the financial year ending 31 October 2022. This statement was approved by the Rheal Superfoods Ltd Board of Directors.