Lancaster Colony Corporation

Rating Overview

Lancaster Colony Corporation is Medium Risk.

The Marzetti Co., formerly Lancaster Colony Corporation, is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled 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:

Medium

Rationale:

Marzetti, then doing business as Lancaster Colony Corporation, integrates ESG into its business practices. From its ESG Report: “Lancaster Colony understands that ESG and financial success are often
co-dependent, not mutually exclusive” (1). In 2025, Marzetti rebranded its ESG policy, language, and positions as Sustainability; however, it remains unclear whether the underlying divisive corporate policies/practices materially changed following the rebrand (2). Marzetti integrates DEI into its supply chain. From its 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report: “We are committed to promoting diversity within our supply chain. We actively seek out and support minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses as part of our supplier network” (3). However, Marzetti has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Marzetti does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Marzetti appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its leadership composition. From its 2025 Proxy Statement: “The Nominating and Governance Committee looks for candidates who possess qualifications that meet our strategic needs, who maintain the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, who understand our business, who have diverse backgrounds and experiences in key business, financial and other challenges that are faced by publicly held corporations with a consumer focus, who contribute a diverse frame of reference or point of view by virtue of ethnicity, age, gender or otherwise, and who represent the long-term interests of our shareholders” (1). The company operates a supplier diversity program. “We are committed to promoting diversity within our supply chain. We actively seek out and support minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses as part of our supplier network” (2). Marzetti does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Marzetti, formerly Lancaster Colony Corp., supports DEI within its business practices. From its DEI Policy Statement: “Diversity and inclusion are fundamental values of Lancaster Colony Corporation and its subsidiaries” (1)(2). Marzetti, formerly Lancaster Colony Corp., also supports ESG within its business practices. From its ESG Report: “Lancaster Colony understands that ESG and financial success are often
co-dependent, not mutually exclusive” (3). In 2025, Marzetti rebranded its ESG policy, language, and positions as Sustainability; however, it remains unclear whether the underlying divisive corporate policies/practices materially changed following the rebrand (4).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Marzetti has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Marzetti does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).