Tesco and Morrisons are among 20 leading food businesses backing the launch of The Food Business Charter to transform gender balance.

Industry leaders gathered at the House of Lords on Thursday (6 March) to launch the landmark initiative, with the ambition to reach 40% female representation across the global food value chain by 2035.

The Food Business Charter was developed by Meat Business Women, a global network for people who work with or in the meat and food supply chain, in collaboration with founding signatories Morrisons and Tesco, alongside ABP Food Group, Cranswick, Hilton Foods, and Kepak.

The initiative follows a Meat Business Women industry roundtable last year that highlighted the urgent need for action, with women representing just 33.5% of the meat industry workforce, down from 36% in 2020.

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Meat Business Women global chair and founder Laura Ryan said: “The Food Business Charter is a defining moment in our industry’s journey toward gender equality and a major milestone for our 10th year of Meat Business Women.

“Working with senior leaders who understand the benefits of a gender-balanced workforce, we’ve created not just a vision, but a practical roadmap for change.”

The Charter will be accompanied by an ‘Action Planning Toolkit’, designed in collaboration with diversity and inclusion experts, providing organisations with practical strategies to achieve the Charter’s ambitions.

Ryan added: “This isn’t about setting targets – it’s about transforming our industry’s future to ensure it remains profitable and sustainable. With the support of our industry partners, we’re confident we can achieve sustainable change.”