The ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the pandemic have elevated the role of the food industry. Both food producers and retailers are perceived to have an important role for society today, which we can also see in positively developing Purpose Index™ scores. But focus on issues like health, climate and and social issues among the public also increase expectations on the sector.
Explore more about purpose in food and other industries in Purpose Index™ 2024.
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Case study
Two companies that have consistently performed well in the Purpose Index™ are American grocery chain Publix and Swedish food producer Lantmännen.
Publix, which is a cooperative, is strongly integrated in its community. It contributes both as a valued employer and as a benefactor. Publix is also perceived to offer good quality and value for money, which has helped elevate its Purpose Index™ rankings in the United States. It is, however, held back by a lack of vision.
Lantmännen score highly across the board, including Vision. They manage this despite being an agricultural cooperative, which isn’t necessarily a category linked to visionary business practices. But Lantmännen leads with their purpose ”From field to fork” in all they do, making it obvious how important they are to Swedish society, why they do what they do, and that they care for people and planet.
Publix could learn a thing or two from Lantmännen when it comes to communicating a vision for the future.
About Publix
Publix is an employee-owned grocery retailer based in Florida with stores in the Southeast United States.
About Lantmännen
Lantmännen is a Swedish agricultural cooperative owned by 19,000 farmers with operations in 20 countries.
Read about how purpose works in different industries and learn about its verified business impact in Purpose Index™ 2024.
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For our Global 2024 report, we’ve surveyed the general public about 550 companies around the world. Get in touch to book a walkthrough of the results for your company, or to hear about findings for an industry or geographic market.
