Stakeholders

Our stakeholders include groups or individuals that are affected by our business activities, whether directly or indirectly. Stakeholders also affect the way we do business through the way they engage with us as consumers, employees, business partners, customers, health and nutrition professionals, local communities, suppliers, regulators, environmental associations and shareholders.

We engage in a dialogue with our stakeholders in order to understand their expectations and concerns and update them about our activities and impacts on their quality of life. We aim to support our stakeholders in the pursuit of healthy lifestyles by making more healthy choices available through our products and our different business activities. We engage in different ways, according to the needs of different stakeholder groups.

Our approach to stakeholder engagement has been redefined to support a 360 degree perspective. During 2013, we developed a program and supporting tools to help managers understand stakeholder interfaces in all aspects of their internal and external interactions, and ensure that stakeholder perspectives are taken into account at an early stage across diverse decisions that are made each day. In 2014, we are providing training to managers in the use of these new tools so that we can further adapt our practices to reflect an understanding of multiple needs.

In 2013, we realigned the way we view our stakeholder groups to be consistent with our 2020 Sustainability Strategy. We again conducted specific consultation with stakeholders for the purpose of helping to define the highest priority sustainability issues for Strauss Group, and to gain their input as we prepare our annual sustainability report. Please read more about that in the section “Determining our priority sustainability issues” earlier in this report. On a regular basis, however, we maintain a multitude of channels and formats for engaging in dialogue with our stakeholders.

The key to meeting consumer needs is understanding them. Through an intensive program of market research and qualitative and quantitative tools, we are able to identify product innovation that will provide consumers with a wider variety of healthy choices, and opportunities to lead healthier lifestyles.

In 2013, we reached more than 80,000 consumers in Israel in more than 330 specific unique market research initiatives. We employ a range of channels, including social media, focus groups, internet polling and targeted interviews. We are constantly adopting the latest technologies and advanced methodologies to help develop an even greater understanding of how consumers want to pursue healthy lifestyles and other issues that are important to them.

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We maintain a strong presence online using our own digital assets and other social media platforms to connect with our consumers, inform them of new products and hear their insights, requests and demands. In 2013, we directly interacted with hundreds of thousands of consumers through our different digital channels.  

We maintain Facebook pages, a Twitter account, a YouTube Channel, and an Instagram account along with our own platforms such as our informative corporate website, our blog, our “My Strauss” community initiative and more. Throughout the year, we use these platforms to engage consumers in different ways. For example, in 2013, we conducted ten Ask the Expert events hosted on the Strauss Group Facebook page. These events offered our consumers the opportunity to learn from experts about food and nutrition related topics. Also, on our Facebook page we post a corporate responsibility related article every Monday. We maintain good relations with CR bloggers and in 2013, we participated in #CSRChat, an online Twitter discussion lasting one hour on the subject of our last sustainability report. 

We support online interaction through our Digital Media Innovation team that identifies new technology platforms for digital interactions with consumers. In 2013, we introduced two new platforms. Trendimon sharing platform is now used in our My Strauss website, rewarding consumers with benefits for sharing content on the website and attracting new members. Roojoom is a reading tool that helps consumers to interact with useful content we provide, including recipes, tips and tricks and more.

My Strauss website: My Strauss is a website we created especially for our consumers in Israel, inviting them to take part in our innovation process, providing feedback, offering suggestions and trying out products during the development phase. At the end of 2013, we relaunched the “My Strauss” website to offer community members improved value with bigger discounts, new product tasting and early advice of new product launches. Since the site’s launch in 2011, over 18,000 consumers have become members. The sent us more than 38,000 leading to 28 product launches.

Strauss leadership is active in several forums, and we participate in many different groups and associations both locally in Israel and around the world.

The organizations we engage with on a regular basis include those that address both global and local social and environmental causes.

		Maala - Business for Social Responsibility: Maala is a not-for-profit organization which aims to advance sustainable business practices in Israel and publishes an annual corporate social responsibility ranking of Israeli companies. Strauss Group has participated in this annual ranking since its inception and in 2013, achieved the highest possible ranking, Platinum Plus. Strauss Group Chairperson, Ofra Strauss completed a three year term as Chair of Maala at the end of 2013. www.maala.org.il
		The Manufacturers’ Association of Israel: The Manufacturers’ Association is a leading force in the Israeli economy and industry, representing all industrial sectors in the local and international markets. Strauss takes an active part in supporting the Association and its sector-specific Food Industries Association for the benefit of the entire food sector in Israel, as well as its Business Forum on Corruption and Bribery. www.industry.org.il/eng
		Transparency International (TI) Israel: Transparency International is a global movement that works to eliminate corruption in government, business and civil society. TI Israel is one of the organizations’ national chapters, and works in collaboration with the business sector, the public sector, and the non-profit sector to change existing norms and reinforce public awareness of the importance of transparency and ethics. Strauss supports the efforts of the organization, working together to promote transparency, ethics and responsibility. www.transparency.org
		Access Israel: Access Israel is a non-profit organization that works to promote accessibility for people with various disabilities, and support their integration into society. Strauss Israel is a member of the Business Accessibility Forum, which includes over 35 Israeli companies. This membership constitutes a commitment to promote accessibility within the organization and through its services and products. www.aisrael.org
		The Israeli Forum for Diversity Hiring: This is a non-profit organization advancing the integration of disadvantaged populations into the workplace in Israel, established by the Joint Distribution Committee of Israel. In line with its diversity and inclusion strategy, Strauss supports this organization and is an active member of the Forum. www.diversityisrael.org.il