WK Kellogg Co.
KLG.US | Manufacture of grain mill products
WK Kellogg Co is a leading food company focused on ready-to-eat cereal in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. The company manufactures, markets, and sells cereals such as Raisin Bran, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, and Special K. WK Kellogg Co primarily operates in the breakfast cereal segme...Show More
Better Health for All
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The company is under investigation by the Texas Attorney General for advertising cereals like Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and Frosted Flakes as "healthy" despite containing petroleum-based artificial food colorings linked to health problems
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. This indicates misleading marketing and undisclosed risks, especially as these artificial colors have been removed from products in Canada and Europe
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. Approximately 15% of the company's cereal sales contain FD&C colors
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. In terms of safety, the company has a history of product recalls, including a 2024 Chocolate Corn Flakes recall
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, and previous serious incidents such as a 2018 Salmonella outbreak linked to Honey Smacks
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and a 2009 Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter products that resulted in 9 deaths
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. Despite these issues, in fiscal 2024, 58% of the portfolio sales volume met Nourishing Foods Criteria
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. The company has also reduced added sugars in Froot Loops and Apple Jacks by approximately 25% and Frosted Flakes by 8% as of 2023
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, and 100% of its cereals are free from high-fructose corn syrup, Red No. 3, Titanium Dioxide, and potassium bromate
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. All owned facilities are Safe Quality Food Institute (SQF) certified
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Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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WK Kellogg Co is a food company and does not offer lending, deposit, or other financial services to consumers. Therefore, KPIs related to financial products, pricing, fees, lending compliance, debt burden, data accessibility, and wealth-building outcomes are not applicable to its core business model, resulting in a score of 0 for these metrics as per the rubric's 'Not applicable' definitions. While the company engages in community initiatives and partnerships, these do not constitute financial services or direct financial inclusion programs. Information on profit reinvestment in community finance could not be scored as the company's donations are not explicitly defined as 'community finance' and pre-tax profit figures were not provided to calculate a percentage.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
10
WK Kellogg Co's employee rating on Glassdoor is 3.9 out of 5 stars, which is approximately 78%.
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Additionally, 72% of employees would recommend working at the company to a friend.
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Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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WK Kellogg Co (WKKC) reported no instances of forced or child labor identified in its activities and supply chains for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
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The company prohibits involuntary and child labor within its operations and supply chain
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and utilizes Sedex, a third-party ethical trade service provider, to identify, assess, and manage risks.
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The WK Kellogg Co Supplier Code of Conduct, which addresses ethical labor practices, is required in 100% of all supplier contracts and purchase orders,
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with WKKC reserving the right to terminate agreements for non-compliance.
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For identified high-risk materials, WK Kellogg Co commits to sourcing 100% mass balance Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified palm oil for its products.
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All U.S. paperboard is sourced from mills certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) standard,
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and the company commits to 100% timber-based packaging from recycled or certified sustainable sources.
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Honest & Fair Business
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WK Kellogg Co has a whistleblower policy that enables employees to report violations through various channels, including managers, HR, Legal, Ethics & Compliance.
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The company provides a confidential 24/7 third-party managed helpline for reporting.
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Retaliation against whistleblowers is explicitly stated as not tolerated.
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Kind to Animals
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The company explicitly states that it does not conduct, fund, support, or condone animal testing for food products or ingredients unless required for food safety or quality.
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If government agencies mandate testing, it uses accredited third-party facilities that follow proper animal welfare guidelines.
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No War, No Weapons
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The provided articles for WK Kellogg Co. focus on its core business as a food company, sustainable business strategy, nutritional content, and community engagement. details the company's spin-off and lists general ESG documents. However, none of the articles provide specific, concrete data points or explicit statements regarding arms manufacturing, military contracts, dual-use technologies, sales to embargoed regimes, peacebuilding investments, conflict divestment policies, or any other metrics relevant to the 'No War, No Weapons' ethical value. Consequently, all KPIs for this value must be omitted due to a lack of direct evidence.
Planet-Friendly Business
-30
WK Kellogg Co, formed in October 2023
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, is currently gathering data for its sustainability reporting, which is expected by mid-2025
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. The company is moving toward inherited Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) emissions reduction targets
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. It has a robust zero-deforestation policy, demonstrated by sourcing 97% of its soy from low-risk markets in 2018
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and suspending palm oil purchases from a supplier facing allegations of environmental degradation
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. The company also has a 2025 deadline for 100% physically deforestation-free certified palm oil globally
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. No environmental compliance violations, regulatory actions, or fines are mentioned in the provided articles for the company
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.
Respect for Cultures & Communities
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WK Kellogg Co has established over 20 formal partnerships with various community-focused organizations, including DonorsChoose, United Way, and Feeding America. However, the company faced at least one cultural appropriation incident in 2020, with media outlets and Twitter users questioning the release of Pan de Muerto cereal by Kellogg's of Mexico.
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The company provides standard grievance mechanisms for employees and consumers through an Ethics and Compliance HelpLine.
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Its charitable giving focuses on general community and hunger relief initiatives, rather than specifically cultural heritage organizations. WK Kellogg Co has expanded its Feeding Reading program to include books in English and French.
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Mandatory training for all employees covers human rights, ethics, and respectful workplace behavior, but does not explicitly include cultural sensitivity components.
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Safe & Smart Tech
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A data breach occurred on December 7, 2024,
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discovered on February 27, 2025,
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and disclosed on April 4, 2025.
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This incident involved unauthorized access to employee personnel files via a third-party vendor's servers by the CL0P ransomware group,
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resulting in the theft of personally identifiable information, including names and Social Security numbers.
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At least one Maine resident
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and three New Hampshire residents
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were confirmed affected, with the total nationwide affected unspecified.
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The company offered one year of free identity theft protection
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and filed a data breach notice with state authorities,
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meeting Maine's 30-day notification deadline.
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The company's privacy notice outlines user choices and access/deletion rights,
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providing a privacy portal, contact email, and phone number for requests.
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The privacy notice also discusses data retention policies
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and mentions compliance with CCPA and other applicable state laws.
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
0
No relevant data was found in the provided articles to assess WK Kellogg Co against the 'Zero Waste & Sustainable Products' ethical value. Both articles returned 404 errors, indicating the content was unavailable.
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