This report benchmarks major food manufacturers on their adoption of practices to measure and mitigate risks related to the use of synthetic pesticides in agricultural supply chains. In scoring a set of questions related to pesticide-related company strategies and disclosure, the report provides a picture of the industry’s overall performance, distinguishes leaders from laggards, and provides examples of notable practices. These benchmarks provide a pathway for assessing company performance to support investors in advocating for long-term value.

For this report, 17 major food companies were scored on a total of 27 indicators. Scores are based on a thorough review of publicly available information, including companies’ published reports, press statements, and website text. In the case of international companies, U.S.-specific information was used where available; if the company did not clearly differentiate between U.S. and global policies, the latter were reported.

This year, companies are starting to differentiate themselves by publicly identifying their pesticide reduction commitments and practices, or lack thereof. Some companies’ disclosures on pesticide use management have improved over the past two years while, overall, scores declined due to increased specificity of the key performance indicators.