Recent Updates

Our Commitments to Animal Welfare

Animal welfare is a priority at Empire and Sobeys Inc., as well as our valued stakeholders, including our customers, investors and animal rights organizations. Everyone in our industry, at every step of the supply chain, has a role to play in ensuring the animal products we source are sourced respectfully.

In an effort to move the needle forward on the wellbeing of pregnant sows and laying hens, in 2013 and 2016 respectively, major grocery retailers in Canada announced two commitments:

• To source all fresh pork products from producers using gestation crate-free housing systems by the end of 2022
• To source only cage-free eggs by the end of 2025

Our industry has learned a lot since we made these public commitments. Retailers and suppliers agree, these are the right goals to work towards. Since the retailers made these commitments, we’ve learned that the supply chain needs more time to adapt and change. We are all committed to continue working to these goals and the complexities they create. We’ve made some progress to date. For our fiscal year 2021 (May 3, 2020 – May 1, 2021), cage-free eggs (free run, free range, organic) made up 17.5% of our total shell egg sales. By partnering with our supplier base, loose housing systems are used by an increasing portion of our Own Brand pork suppliers. For example, for our Own Brand lean ground pork, greater than 30% of the sows from our supplier are housed in loose housing systems*. We will continue to work with our supplier partners to increase these rates within our business.

The Industry is working together, through the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) to continue to improve the Codes of Practice on these issues and to align on an industry-wide reporting cadence on these metrics. We will participate in these important forums to move the entire industry forward, towards higher animal welfare standards. Further details will be included and reported in our 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report that will be released later this year.

*Loose housing is defined as systems that allow for the housing of sows in group pens during their gestation period. For the safety of the animals and caregivers, sows are housed in stalls during their nursing and breeding stages.

Remaining Atlantic Banners Say Goodbye to Plastic Bags

We support Atlantic Canada’s commitment to sustainability! As of October 1, all Sobeys Inc. banner stores in Atlantic Canada are now free of single-use plastic bags at our checkouts. We have transitioned to recyclable, compostable paper bags. We will also continue to offer a variety of reusable bags for purchase. We owe a huge thank-you to our customers for helping to better our communities and our planet. Together, we can do OurPart™ for future generations.

When Times Get Tough, We Step Up for Special Olympics

• Sobeys Inc. is a proud national partner of Special Olympics Canada. This partnership is the first of its kind, addressing the need for increased nutrition education and resources for Canadians with intellectual disabilities.
• As a Special Olympics Canada partner since 2016, Sobeys Inc. has contributed more than $5.4 million in food and funds. Through this support we see first-hand the difference nutrition education can make in empowering healthy bodies and healthy minds.
• Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we made the difficult decision to cancel our Special Olympics Canada national checkstand fundraising campaign, scheduled June 18 to July 1, 2020. To ensure that this decision does not negatively impact our national partner, Sobeys has honoured its fundraising target with a $1 million donation to Special Olympics Canada.
• Sobeys’ Special Olympics partnership is a tremendous source of pride for our family of brands from coast-to-coast. We will continue to promote the important work of Special Olympics and help advance their mission to provide individuals with intellectual disabilities the strength, determination and confidence to take on any challenge in sport and in life.
• Sobeys’ $1M donation will help ensure re-starting programs as soon as safely possible becomes a reality and will directly impact the 49,600 athletes and 22,000 coaches and volunteers in Canada who rely on them. The $1M donation from Sobeys is equivalent to covering the total cost for 1,440 Special Olympics athletes with an intellectual disability to participate in world-class, transformative community sports, health, youth and leadership programs in Canada year-round.

Sobeys Inc., Sobey family, Customers and Partners Rally Behind Nova Scotia Stronger Together Campaign

• This past April, Nova Scotia was devasted by a tragic shooting which took place in various communities throughout Northern and Central Nova Scotia.
• With our teammates, loved ones and customers in our home province reeling from the tragedy, Sobeys Inc. and the Sobey family made an initial donation of $425,000 to the Nova Scotia Stronger Together Fund. This fund, established by The Canadian Red Cross and the Government of Nova Scotia, will be used to support the individuals, families and communities affected by the tragedy. The Canadian Red Cross identified four areas of support which include; immediate direct financial payments to victims’ families, scholarships for victims’ children, long-term emotional support and community recovery support.
• In addition to the initial donation, Sobeys Inc. held an in-store fundraising campaign from April 28 to May 8, which provided customers with an opportunity to donate to the Fund at all Sobeys, Foodland, Co-op, Lawtons Drugs, Needs, Fast Fuel, and Pete’s Fine Foods locations in Nova Scotia. All funds donated by customers will support the long-term objectives of the Canadian Red Cross’ Stronger Together Nova Scotia Fund. Customers were grateful to have a way to give to those affected and the stores raised over $65,000 for the Fund.
• After hearing of the donations made by Sobeys Inc, the Sobey family and customers across Nova Scotia, Sobeys Inc. partner, EY Canada also wanted to contribute to support members of the affected communities. EY donated an additional $25,000 in partnership with Sobeys Inc. to the Nova Scotia Stronger Together Fund.
• For more information on the Nova Scotia Together Fund please visit The Canadian Red Cross website at www.redcross.ca

Creating Awareness and Connections Through Company-wide Unconscious Bias Training

• Sobeys Inc. launched Conscious Inclusion training to all People Leaders. These live and interactive learning sessions foster a greater understanding of unconscious bias and support our continued efforts to build inclusive leadership capability.
• This program will see continued roll-out across Sobeys Inc. national office and retail networks through fiscal 2021.

Indigenous Sharing Circles Deepen Awareness and Understanding of Lived Experiences

• In order to better understand the unique barriers to inclusion faced by our Indigenous teammates, Sobeys Inc. organized 4 Indigenous Sharing Circles in both French and English and engaged the expertise of Indigenous community leaders Shannon Monk of Sakatay Global and Pytor Hodgson of Three Things Consulting, to facilitate learning and sharing of lived experiences with teammates across the country.
• Sharing circles will continue to support and inform ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

Sobeys’ Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) Celebrates Women Making Waves

• Celebrating our seven Canadian Grocer Star Women in Grocery Awards recipients, Sobeys hosted Women Making Waves, a panel event featuring Sobeys Star Women grocery industry leaders sharing their unique career journeys. This event saw strong participation from office and retail teammates, including members of Sobeys’ Women’s Inclusion Network(s) (WIN).
• We have expanded our Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) chapters to include all provinces we operate in to support opportunities for advancement through mentorship and events for women across the organization.
• Sobeys will continue to seek opportunities to amplify and celebrate the outstanding contributions of its women leaders.