Corn Nuts Independently-Sourced Ethics and Sustainability Profile
Corn Nuts is owned by Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), a leading snack distributor. As one of the most popular snacks, we expect Corn Nuts's sustainability and ethics to lead the industry. However, KHC's energy use is not sustainable and its renewable energy use is not as strong as we would hope, but it's getting better. Only about 3.4% of their energy comes from renewable sources. Corn Nuts products are made up of ingredients with a moderate environmental impact and the packaging is somewhat environmentally harmful. KHC says that does not discriminate against employees of color and has implemented some strong anti bias trainings, but there have been some allegations outlining discrimination. KHC was recently sued for insufficiently paying California employees, but we have not found any major worker exploitation allegations. We do not give Corn Nuts or KHC our ethical endorsement.
Environment
Environmental Breakdown:
32
33
80
Strongest Areas:
- 1. The Kraft Heinz Company is starting to increase its renewable energy use
2. The Kraft Heinz Company is taking small steps to reduce their carbon footprint
3. The Corn Nuts packaging is recyclable
Weakest Areas:
- 1. The Kraft Heinz Company has not committed to a "carbon pledge"
2. The Corn Nuts packaging that is made out of plastic, which takes a very long time to decompose.
3. The Kraft Heinz Company emits a very high amount of carbon into the atmosphere, and is only starting to use renewable energy.
4. KHC fell short of its 2020 environmental goals
Power
Packaging & Materials
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: MWh / most recent year:
4.74 Million
4.7M
MWh can power:
1M
cars for a year
1
632K
homes for a year
2
74%
of Boston for a year
3
MWh CO2 Avoided by Renewable Energy Use / most recent year:
215 Thousand
215K
MWh can power:
47K
cars for a year
1
29K
homes for a year
2
3.4%
of Boston for a year
3
Our Analysis:
As the third-largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest food and beverage company in the world, The Kraft Heinz Company, the parent company of Corn Nuts, has the resources to be environmentally ethical. KHC emits a very high amount of carbon and other GHGs to the atmosphere, and uses very little renewable energy (only about KHC 4.34% of energy use is from renewable sources). Our sources indicate that 2021 was the first year that KHC used renewable energy, so props to them for joining the revolution and making some progress.
Data for this section provided is by CDP, a nonprofit that runs a trustworthy company disclosure report database. Data based off the most recent "Climate Change" CDP report from when this profile was created (unless later this section has been later updated by our team: our team updates profiles often to keep them relevant and factually-current). Profile creation date:
April 4, 2022
*Data on this section may be rounded; rounding should have a minimal effect on results.. 1: Using estimated data from the EPA. Stating that cars emit an average of 4.6 metric tons CO2 per year. 2: Data estimated by CCFPD: U.S. households emit an average of 7.5 metric tons CO2 per year. 3: Supported by Boston's 2018 emission report: approximately 6.4 million metric tons greenhouse gases emitted by the city (governmental operations only) of Boston in 2018.
Top Materials Used in Product:
corn, corn oil, Maltodextrin, salt, Monosodium Glutamate
Packaging Materials:
Polypropylene, low-density polypropylene
Time for Company Name's Packaging to Decompose:
1000 Years
That's the amount of time that it takes to:
75M
eat
bags of chips
1
7.7K
run
laps across the continental USA
2
23.9M
watch
episodes of The Office®
3
Our Analysis:
Corn Nut's packaging is made up of very environmentally-harmful materials, completely decomposing in 1000 years on average. The packaging is sometimes recyclable. The top 5 ingredients in CornNuts's most popular product are moderately environmentally-harmful. The first most prominent ingredient is Corn, which usually grown via monoculture farming, which degrades soil and often leads to harmful runoff into streams and rivers. Monoculture also often uses pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, which can all wreak havoc on aquatic organisms. The second most prominent ingredient is Corn Oil, which is far more damaging to the environment than palm oil because it needs more land. The third most prominent ingredient is Maltodextrin, which has a relatively low water footprint compared to other foods.
1: Estimating that one personal bag of chips takes 7 minutes to fully eat. 2: Value derived from the world record for running across the continental USA in about 47 days (San Francisco to New York City). 3: Value derived from the average episode length of 22 minutes for The Office® by NBC®. The Office® is a registered trademark of NBC®: we are not at all affiliated with either The Office® or NBC®.
This data is based off the data available when this profile was first created unless the data was later updated (our team frequently updates profiles to make them as relevant and factually-current as possible. Profile creation date:
April 4, 2022
Sustainable Policy
Climate Transparency:
The Kraft-Heinz Company has released climate trends in a CDP report. Also, KHC has some sustainability information on its website.
Energy Shift:
According to CDP data, Kraft-Heinz is increasing its use of renewable energy, starting this year and anticipating fast-paced improvements.
Our Analysis:
Corn Nuts and Kraft-Heinz seem to be beginning to care about making products and operations sustainable. They have taken some recent measures to reduce their environmental impact and they are transparent about their sustainability practices. They are anticipating fast-paced improvements in the ways they interact with the environment.
Human Ethics Breakdown:
87
50
67
Strongest Areas:
- 1. We did not find any major cases of worker exploitation from KHC beyond the minor cases in California
2. The KHC is committed to increasing corporate diversity
3. The KHC acted during Covid-19 by donating $12 million
Weakest Areas:
- 1. KHC has faced evidence-backed lawsuits claiming that they underpaid California employees
2. KHC has received some allegations for mistreating black employees
Social Mission:
The Kraft Heinz company is committed to Growing a Better World by enhancing the quality of people's lives through sustainability, health and wellness and social responsibility
To fulfill their mission:
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The Kraft Heinz Company committed $12 million globally in support of communities impacted by COVID-19 outbreak
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In 2019, Kraft Heinz provided financial support and donated 17.5 million pounds of product to Feeding America. Additionally, Rise Against Hunger has partnered with The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation since 2013 to help undernourished children and families in developing countries around the globe reach their full potential.
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The Kraft Heinz Company is slowly increasing their renewable energy output
Lawsuits Against
Corn Nuts
?
Lawsuits Found*
3 Most Relevant Lawsuits:
Year:
Reason:
Amount ($USD)
2020
Kraft Heinz Company violated California labor laws by underpaying staff and failing to provide overtime compensation over the last decade.
Judgment:
Upheld
$3M
2016
KHC was sued for improperly compensating California employees for missed meal breaks
Judgment:
Upheld
$1.75M
n/a
n/a
Judgment:
n/a
n/a
* Within the last 20 years. According to Justia.
Our Analysis:
Based on our research, the Kraft Heinz Co. has many issues when it comes to treating its employees in ethical ways. Issues and lawsuits are recent, showing that problems are not outdated and in the past.
Diversity & Equity
Racial Progression #1:
The Kraft Heinz Company is committed to investing $1.2 million in black owned businesses by 2022
Racial Progression #2:
By 2022, The Kraft Heinz Company is committed to donating $1 million to support food programs and social justice organizations serving African-American communities most affected in recent months by police brutality and COVID-19 in the United States
Our Racial Stance Analysis:
The Kraft Heinz Company says they have the goal of contributing to ending racial injustice and squashing the racial wealth-gap. However, there have been a few reports that accuse KHC of discrimination in the workplace. But, they've introduced robust programs to make sure people of color have equal opportunity in the workplace and they've implemented bias training.
Politics
Corn Nuts
Political Donations:
Donations or a portion of the donations may be from employees, not the company as a whole. Data from Open Secrets and/or Goods Unite Us.
Contribution:
Top 3 Political Candidates:
Very Low
Joe Biden
RNC
DNC
Political Analysis:
KHC reports that they do not engage in lobbying, which is backed by records. Employees tend to be split 50/50 on party lines.
Health
130
Calories
in best selling product
1
0
g Sugar
in best selling product
1
0
g Trans Fat
in best selling product
1
Our Analysis:
CornNuts sells themselves as an on-the-go snack company. Packed with 0 g sugar, it’s definitely effective at being a low sugar snack. According to our sources (listed below), even though corn nuts are derived from a vegetable, they have very little nutritional value. They are also high in fat and sodium which are known to be detrimental to health.
We are using public health data that may have or may not have been derived from licensed medical doctors. We are not giving you health advise. For health advise, ask your doctor. This information has the sole purpose of representing company ethics. We are not giving you medical information. Never take any medical actions as a result of information in this website section ("health"); it represents company ethics only. Ask.your doctor for medical advise.
1: Data is per serving. 1: Best selling product (information as of the the date that this ethical profile was published):
Corn Nuts (ranch flavored)
Source for health data for this profile (although our team looks for only the most trustworthy sources, we do not endorse this source in any way):
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