Better Health for All

Sysco offers comprehensive mental health resources for employees and their families, including an Employee Assistance Program, Behavioral Health Benefits, Digital Well-Being Coaching, Rethink Care for child and parent mental health, and the Headspace app.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sysco donated 30 million meals valued at over $100 million across eight countries, providing fresh produce and dairy and offering logistical support to food banks. In terms of nutrition and food safety, Sysco has implemented a robust Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) team, real-time temperature monitoring, and improved recall communication. In FY2024, over 21,000 GAP audits were conducted for produce suppliers, and the company has a comprehensive plan to comply with the FDA's Food Traceability Final Rule. , Sysco also introduces healthier options through its 'Sysco Simply' brand and increased cage-free egg orders to 33% in the U.S. in FY2024. , Historically, between 2009 and 2013, Sysco faced severe food safety violations, including storing over 405,000 food items in dirty, unrefrigerated, and illegal drop sites, leading to a $19.4 million penalty in 2014. Sysco does not hold healthcare-related patents, its products do not have addiction potential, and it does not conduct clinical trials.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Sysco Corporation is a food distribution company and does not offer consumer lending, deposit, or other financial services. Consequently, KPIs related to financial products, fees, debt, and banking access are not applicable, resulting in a score of 0 for these categories. While Sysco supports diverse-owned culinary businesses and suppliers, such as through partnerships with Let’s Talk Womxn

and investments in diverse suppliers, there is no evidence of direct impact on customer credit scores, savings growth, or homeownership for users of financial products, leading to the omission of the 'wealth_building_outcome' KPI.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The company recorded four substantiated labor-law violations in the past three years (2023-2024), which include three employment discrimination findings

and one labor relations violation related to unfair labor practices . For fiscal year 2024, the CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 217:1. As of July 1, 2023, approximately 15% of employees were represented by unions.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

An investigation revealed forced labor, specifically the use of North Korea's forced labor program, at a seafood plant in China, leading Sysco to suspend ties with that facility.

Sysco is intensifying its probe into forced labor within its Chinese seafood supply chain and maintains a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking, slavery, forced labor, or child labor. Adherence to Sysco's Supplier Code of Conduct is required in every Sysco contract and through the acceptance of Purchase Orders. Sysco Brand products in high-risk countries and branded suppliers undergo annual third-party audits. Sysco-owned distribution centers and specialty processing facilities also undergo annual independent food safety certification audits. In FY2024, 196 audits were conducted across 18 countries, resulting in the suspension of 5 facilities.

Honest & Fair Business

Sysco incurred $210,903 in ethics-related regulatory fines in the past three years, including $77,278 for an environmental violation in 2025 and $133,625 for employment discrimination in 2024.

Sysco has established procedures for receiving, retaining, and investigating accounting complaints from employees, shareholders, and others. Employees can submit complaints confidentially or anonymously via a 24/7 Ethics Line operated by an independent third party, email, or mail. The company explicitly prohibits retaliation against anyone who, in good faith, makes an accounting complaint or provides assistance, referencing the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts. The Audit Committee oversees these procedures, reviews a written docket of complaints and resolutions, and can engage outside auditors or counsel for investigations. These procedures are posted on the company's corporate website, and records are retained for seven years. Sysco's Board of Directors is required to have at least a majority of independent directors, meeting criteria established by the New York Stock Exchange, with detailed guidelines for determining director independence. Sysco has a robust and comprehensive anti-corruption compliance program applicable to its global operations. This program is designed to detect and prevent bribery, ensuring adherence to global standards such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and mandates accurate record-keeping and internal controls. Anti-bribery topics are part of the Global Code of Conduct training campaign, and the policy sets gift limits at $100 USD and entertainment limits at $250 USD.

Kind to Animals

Sysco ensures all North American Sysco Brand Tier 1 suppliers provide annual animal welfare audits, with consequences for non-compliance including suspension or termination of contracts.

In FY2024, cage-free eggs represented approximately 33% of all shell and processed/liquid egg orders fulfilled in the U.S. and 9.6% of cases in Canada, with a goal to source 100% cage-free by 2026. All supplier-owned farms in the U.S. have adopted group-housing systems. Sysco's Animal Welfare Policy for Suppliers, effective October 2020, is aligned with the Five Freedoms Framework, encouraging appropriate space, meaningful enrichments for natural behavior, pain mitigation, and responsible antibiotic use. Sysco partnered with Certified Angus Beef to provide Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training to 1,000 farmers. Sysco is working towards compliance with state animal welfare laws, including California Proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3, and has completed compliance audits for 10 out of 16 California-serving distribution centers. Sysco's own operations do not involve animal husbandry, making humane certification for its facilities not applicable.

No War, No Weapons

Sysco Corporation secured $59 million in contracts to supply food and beverage items to various U.S. military branches and federal civilian agencies.

This revenue constitutes approximately 0.076% of its over $78 billion in global sales, categorized as minor defense-adjacent services. The company explicitly states it is uninvolved in weapon manufacturing or distributing military equipment. Sysco's lobbying activities focus on non-military topics. Sysco Brand suppliers in high-risk countries undergo third-party annual human rights due diligence audits. In FY2024, 43% of audited suppliers improved their scores, and five locations were suspended due to non-compliance, with some later reinstated after implementing corrective action plans. The company has a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking, slavery, forced labor, and child labor. Sysco is not subject to the Arms Trade Treaty and has no defense assets to divest.

Planet-Friendly Business

Sysco was the first food distributor to set Science Based Targets (SBTs) in 2021.

, with a goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 27.5% from a CY2019 base year by the end of 2030. This target serves as a defined interim checkpoint.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Sysco provides global online "Inclusiveness at Sysco" training for all associates and requires leaders to complete additional training on unconscious biases, indicating a high completion rate for cultural sensitivity training.

The company supports language inclusivity by offering reports, e-learning courses, vendor onboarding materials, and its Sysco Shop in multiple languages, including Spanish and Canadian French. Sysco has engaged at least four indigenous or minority-owned suppliers, including three Indigenous businesses for refreshments and one Black-owned rice mill. There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents, and the company does not have a specific cultural impact assessment protocol.

Safe & Smart Tech

Sysco experienced a data breach identified on March 5, 2023, with unauthorized access beginning January 14, 2023.

This incident compromised personal information of over 126,000 individuals, including names, Social Security numbers, and financial information, as well as company operational and customer data. Sysco promptly investigated, notified law enforcement, and implemented additional safeguards. The company later paid $2.3 million to resolve allegations related to this breach. Sysco is implementing an AI governance framework, which includes policies, guidelines, documentation, and an AI inventory to track models and risk profiles. It is also developing enterprise-wide training programs on AI risks and ethics, and monitors regulations like the EU AI Act, GDPR, and NIST AI Risk Management Framework to ensure adherence.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Sysco faced significant waste disposal violations between July 2009 and August 2013, including storing over 405,859 food items in illegal, unrefrigerated drop sites for a cumulative 23,287 days.

This resulted in a $19.4 million settlement. The company confirmed these practices stopped by September 2013 and stated they have addressed food safety and quality assurance. As of June 2024, Sysco achieved an 83% waste diversion rate, an increase from 67% in FY2023. The company has a goal to divert 90% of waste from landfills by the end of 2025. Sysco requires that all packaging specially produced for its brands uses a minimum of 35% post-consumer recycled materials. The company has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including an extensive landfill diversion program, collaborating with a recycling partner for 15 high-priority sites, equipping key sites with new organics programs, and leveraging data tracking for reuse programs like pallet recycling. A program offering rebates for recycling shrink wrap bales resulted in over $40,000 in rebates. Sysco Ireland has a "War on Waste" workstream with a target to reduce waste by 12% year on year, and converts excess food into animal feed, biofuel, or compost, having supported over 500 charities by distributing more than a million meals. Sysco has also established packaging guidelines for its suppliers.