"Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement: Practical guidance for companies in the agriculture and food manufacturing sector – A roadmap for centring workers and communities in your human rights and environmental due diligence", May 2026

This practical guidance helps companies in the agriculture and food manufacturing sector strengthen Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement (MSE) as part of human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD). MSE the process of engaging workers, farmers, communities, and other stakeholders in genuine, safe, and ongoing dialogue so their perspectives shape company decisions and outcomes.
In complex, high-risk and often opaque agrifood supply chains, such engagement is both challenging and essential. It improves risk identification, strengthens responses, and supports alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guidelines, and upcoming legislation such as CSDDD.
Structured around key questions (who, how, when), the guidance offers step-by-step support and real-world examples to inspire action. Additional resources – including a checklist, stakeholder mapping tool, and impact tracking tool – help companies at different levels of maturity turn commitment into action.