Governance policies & relationship agreements

Safecall whistleblowing helpline

Premier Foods is committed to conducting business with integrity, fairness, respect for our values, and within the law. We have a dedicated independent whistleblowing helpline, operated by Safecall, which is available to all colleagues, contractors, agency workers, customers, suppliers and distributors, to enable them to report any concerns or suspicions about any wrongdoing, unethical practice or criminal acts on the part of any employee of Premier Foods. All information received via the helpline is treated seriously, in line with best practice and applicable law and as far as possible, confidentially.

Examples of matters to report to Safecall include:

• the commission of a criminal offence or any other unlawful act (such as fraud, theft, bribery & corruption, or anti-competitive behaviour)
• dangerous practices or negligence at work, which put people or assets at risk
• actions or negligence that could impact adversely on food or product safety
• a failure to comply with any legal obligation
• accounting malpractice or falsifying documents
• human rights and modern slavery concerns
• risks or actual damage to the environment
• concealment of any of the above

To report issues or concerns please contact Safecall free 24/7 on: +44 (0)800 915 1571 or online at www.safecall.co.uk/clients/premier-foods. Contact can remain anonymous.

Once a concern or incident has been reported, we will make preliminary enquiries and decide if further investigation is needed. If so, a decision will be made whether this should be conducted internally or whether the matter should be referred externally. Where possible, we will advise you of the outcome of any investigations.

Anyone who reports their genuinely held concerns, will not be victimised or treated less favourably in any way as a result. However, deliberately raising false or malicious allegations is not acceptable and will be viewed extremely seriously.

Anti-bribery and corruption

Premier Foods’ policy is to conduct its business in an honest and ethical manner, upholding a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. We are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in our business dealings and relationships, wherever we operate, implementing and enforcing effective systems to counter bribery and corruption and complying with all relevant laws.

The Group has an Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy and a code of conduct for third parties which provides guidance for complying with anti-corruption laws. This covers, amongst other things, guidance on dealings with third parties, facilitation payments, gifts and hospitality and charitable and political donations. We do not tolerate any form of bribery or corruption and expect all colleagues, business partners, suppliers, contractors, joint venture partners, customers, agents, distributors, and other representatives to act in accordance with all laws and applicable Group policies.

We introduced a revised Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy in 2021 and updated again in 2024. Our policy includes a Gifts and Hospitality Register which is reviewed regularly by our legal team. All gifts and hospitality must be entered onto the register and any gifts or hospitality over £150 must be authorised by a line manager.

We provide annual anti-bribery and corruption training, which is focused on our senior leaders and those assessed as being most exposed to potential risk due to the nature of their roles. This is facilitated through an online training course and requires colleagues to confirm that they have read and understood the policy and pass a comprehensive test, based on a range of relevant scenarios that may arise in the course of their work.

We also have a Dow Jones platform for sanctions checks, and this also covers checks for bribery, fraud, and corruption. We have carried out a review of all existing customers and suppliers and have integrated the Dow Jones checks as part of the onboarding process for any new suppliers and customers. Any checks that are flagged as red or orange are escalated to the Head of Legal and Head of Treasury for further review and action.

Inclusion and diversity

The Board adopted a Diversity Policy in 2022. The purpose of the policy is to ensure an inclusive and diverse membership of the Board and its committees, to enhance decision making and assist in the development and delivery of the Group’s strategy. The Board believes it is important that its membership includes a broad mix of skills, professional and industry backgrounds, geographical experience and expertise, gender, tenure, ethnicity and diversity of thought. A culture of inclusion and diversity is promoted through a clear tone from the top, with the Board and Executive Leadership Team championing inclusion and diversity in support of the Group’s values. The Board or, where appropriate, the Nomination Committee, will:

• Consider all aspects of diversity when reviewing the composition of the Board and its committees, and when reviewing the Board’s effectiveness;
• Only engage executive search firms who have signed up to the voluntary Code of Conduct on gender diversity and best practice and request them to identify suitable candidates for appointment to the Board on merit against objective criteria, having regard to the benefits of diversity in promoting the success of the Group;
• Encourage the development of a diverse internal talent pipeline to meet future succession planning needs of the Group, by supporting and monitoring the Group’s actions to increase the proportion of senior leadership roles held by women, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and other under-represented groups across the business; and
• Assist the development of a diverse pipeline of high-calibre candidates by encouraging senior individuals within the business to take on additional roles to gain valuable board experience.

The Board and Nomination Committee regularly review the Group’s approach to diversity (including both gender and ethnicity), within senior management and across the whole business and this remains an area of significant focus. The Board supports the recommendations set out in the FTSE Women Leaders Review and the Parker Review.

Further information on our approach to inclusion and diversity across the business is set out in our Enriching Life Plan.