Sysco

Texas
Food and Staples Retailing

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Caution
Medium Risk

By complying with Human Rights Campaign's controversial demands, Sysco increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in vendor selection and marketing. Sysco forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. Sysco supports the Equality Act and is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The company opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces. Sysco does not discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving and has not used its PAC contributions for ideological purposes. For these reasons, Sysco receives a Medium Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Sysco vets vendors according to LGBTQ policies. However, it has not publicly terminated business relationships based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Sysco does not discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving. Sysco’s charitable giving is aimed at preventing hunger through food security, and there is no language about preventing donations to religious organizations (1).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Sysco’s does not protect its employees against viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Sysco‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy (1)(2). By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Sysco signed an open letter supporting the Equality Act (3). The company resisted pressure to issue a comment on the Texas election security law (4). CEO Kevin Hourican is a member of the Business Roundtable but has not supported ideological initiatives (5). The company opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (6).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Sysco’s  HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Sysco is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (3).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Sysco‘s HRC 2023 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives (1)(2). By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. Sysco has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes (3)(4).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 27, 2024

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

Voting History

Date
ESG Category
Proponent
Summary of ResolutionMgmt RecTotal Vote % in Favor
11/17/23SocialHumane Society of the U.S.Policy for Eliminating Gestation Crates in Pork Supply Chainagainst30.92%
11/18/22EnvironmentalGreen Century Capital ManagementReport on Efforts to Reduce Plastic UseFor92.10%
11/18/22EnvironmentalSHARE (Sharehldr Assoc for Research & EducCommission Third-Party Report Assessing Supply Chain RisksAgainst18.70%
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