Cargill, Inc. — Ethics Grade D

Cargill, Inc. receives an overall ethics grade of D (28/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Food & Beverage. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 30
• privacy: 85
• consumer: 50
• environment: 20
• humanRights: 15

Documented incidents (3)

• Child Slavery Lawsuit (high, 2021) — The Supreme Court heard a case alleging Cargill and Nestle were complicit in child slavery on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast. The company was accused of providing financial and technical assistance to farms using forced labor.
• Cerrado Deforestation (high, 2023) — Environmental groups mapped thousands of acres of illegal land clearing in the Brazilian Cerrado linked to Cargill's soy supply chain, despite industry-wide moratoria.
• Meatpacking Safety Failures (medium, 2020) — The company faced severe criticism and legal action for failing to protect workers during COVID-19 outbreaks at its facilities, leading to hundreds of infections and several deaths.

Documented good deeds

• Regenerative Agriculture Support — Supported 10 million acres of regenerative farming practices through farmer training and financial incentives.

Ethical alternatives

• Barry Callebaut — Better transparency in cocoa supply chains and stronger ESG reporting.