Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility

2024

Contents

Our Company

Pentagon Food Group is Strategically located in the heart of the U.K, in Fenton, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire. We are proud of our roots and although we are a global organisation, Fenton will always be our hub, for any subsidiary that we operate and will operate through our future growth. Our family consists of Pentagon Food Group, Freshways Cash & Carry, the PFG Group and our Shared Service Centre in Pakistan. We serve over 1200 businesses in the UK, from our 80,000 square feet, Multi Temperature Warehouse, covering West Midlands, East Midlands, Northwest, Mid Wales, and North Wales.

Pentagon Food Group Ltd was established in 2007 initially operating from a 5000 SQ FT Warehouse, through the vision and determination of the founders, management and its committed and loyal employees, Our Company has grown from strength to strength and has provided “Quality” products and “Service” to its customers which has been second to none. We have gained extensive knowledge and expertise in the food service domain and pioneered our business operations to meet the demand of today’s caterers and Fast-Food Operators. With a customer centric approach, and a natural obsession to provide the best service to our customers we have been able to grow our customer base and geographical distribution since our humble beginnings.

Our Company

We are proud to say that today, Pentagon Food Group is one of the largest Food Distributors to the HoReCa Channel in the Midlands and Northwest, supplying food service products to Takeaways, Restaurants, Fish & Chip Shops, Dessert Parlours, and Fast-food outlets. We have operations and premises in the U.K, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates.

We are extremely proud of our record in corporate and social responsibility which dates back to the group’s humble beginnings, and although the trading landscape has changed dramatically since then, our commitment to staff, customers, suppliers, and those less fortunate has never wavered.

Being a responsible organisation, means that we have respect for everyone that comes into contact with our businesses. This involves listening to them and learning from them. It also means responding to their concerns, being honest and open in our dealings with them and showing transparency and fairness in the reporting of our performance and results.

Overall, our Ethical Approach is there to maintain Pentagon Food Group’s business reputation, to limit risks using our business ethics, to retain our talent and most importantly, make it a great place to work for our team.

Our Group

We are a global organisation, with our roots in the U.K, but we also have offices in Dubai and Pakistan, with solid goals to move into other countries in the future. Our extensive team in Pakistan work in our Shared Service Centre, and although they are 4000 miles away from the U.K, the team, and respective departments are at the heart of the operation. There may be a time difference, but our committed team in the P.K Region, provide the best possible service not only to the U.K operation, but more importantly to our customers. Technology commands that we are instantly in contact with each other and are all working together in one direction.

Our Purpose & Values

Our purpose ONE TEAM defines why PFG exists and as a purpose-driven organisation, we are working towards something greater than just profit and stakeholder value. Our purpose delivers impact to a community broader than just those directly affected by PFG, such as, our customers, our employees, our suppliers, and stakeholders.

Our Values are at the heart of what PFG believes in and the behaviours we agree to incorporate. PFG’s values are the guiding principles that empowers our employees to work towards achieving our goals and being a great place to work.

Our values are also our promises in the way we interact with our customers, colleagues, suppliers, the general public and our neighbourhood. The word RESPECT itself is a testament to our Company as the meaning of the word respect is as a feeling of deep appreciation for someone or something because of their abilities, qualities, or achievements and a particular way of thinking about or looking at something the way we operate.

As embedded in of our Values, PFG will always aim to reduce our carbon footprint, promote sustainability, and lessen the environmental impact of our businesses. We are also determined to contribute to the communities in which we operate, committed to fostering long-term relationships which enrich the lives of our communities and aim to work in partnership with local community and interest groups. As a group we believe that we are responsible and resolute in promoting and delivering a sector-leading CSR programme which reflects the Senior Management’s commitment in each business entity, which includes the very highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct.

Living Our Values

Our Family at Work

  • We treat our colleagues fairly and respectfully
  • We value their opinions and ideas
  • We provide learning opportunities and support
  • We recognise and reward good performance
  • We provide a healthy and safe working environment

Working with Our Suppliers

  • We support local and small suppliers
  • We are fair, open and honest in all our dealings with our suppliers
  • We practise due diligence in only selecting suppliers with lawful, fair and responsible business practises
  • We regularly engage with suppliers to promote mutally beneficial business strategies.

Our Customers are Our Family

  • We are passionate about providing excellent products and levels of service
  • We regularly monitor our products range and service to ensure we evolve and improve to meet our customers changing needs
  • We engage with, and provide training for our customers, to improve the performance of their business

The Environment

  • We are commited to improving our environmental performance and integrating environment best practice into all our business operations
  • We regularly review our environment policy and those of our supplies and business associates.

Food Health

  • We aim to work in partnership with the government, suppliers and our customers towards improving the health of the wider public in the UK, through the nutritional quality of the products we supply

Working in the Community

  • We provide donations and support to charities and orgainsations who help disadvantaged people, in the UK and overseas
  • We promote community engagement amongst our workforce and our customers and suppliers.
  • We are committed to funding and improving educational standards and opportunities.

Workplace Report

How we treat our employees

Working in the Community

Across the group it is essential that all our managers demonstrate understanding and a willingness to actively promote our values and behaviours. These values and behaviours are used as a key measure in the group`s performance and development review process which is a key element of each individual manager`s annual review Our line management charter states that management must:

  • Show integrity and ethical management.
  • Be trusted and relied upon to act honestly and with integrity.
  • Treat everyone with respect and behave consistently towards colleague, external customers and suppliers.
  • Be loyal to the company and its principles.
  • Accept responsibility for their work and decisions.
  • Encourage and credit deserving parties and not take credit for the work of others.

Communicate

We encourage that communication with other is in an open and honest way. We promote an exchange of communication across all departments and throughout the business, and demonstrate understanding through active listening, showing respect for views and perspective different from own.

We encourage plain, jargon-free language so that objectives and tasks are easily understood by all, by using the appropriate channels of communication including new technologies. We state our own views clearly and convey information that is easily understood by all.

Promote Teamwork

We encourage collaboration and teamwork for the benefit of the team and business, and develop positive and productive relationships around the business. We are always open open to eveloping ideas and solution jointly with others. We promote a strong sence of inclusion, team spirit and through supporting each other when required. Accept responsibility for own and team`s action through , and accept support from others when required.

Workplace Report

How we treat our employees

Leadership

We always encourage and inspire people to be the best they can be, and our aim is to always generate energy and enthusiasm in others in order to achieve worthwhile goals. Involve others and encourage full participation celebrating individual and team successes. We ensure that everyone knows their contribution towards goals and deadlines, and we show trust in the abilitites of others and delegates effectively. We treat everyone with fairness, dignity and respect, and make sure that people have the support they need to realise their aspirations and achieve their full potential. We review and reassess plans and priorities on a regular basis. Our leaders remain calm, professional and focused , acting as a role model in different situations. We are constantly reviewing, to ensure we create a broad pool of talent to meet future business needs.

Be Results Driven

We focus on on achieving business objectives, our priority tasks, efforts and activities to achieve maximum results, through managing project/tasks sucessfully from inception to delivery. We always aim high in order to set standards for others and to exceed expectations

Health & Safety

The health and safety of our team and partners is our number one priority. We work every day to promote a culture of safety and organise training to spread this message. Moreover, significant investments are made in this area and in improving the ergonomics of the workplace. Through a prevention policy, we are committed to identifying, assessing, and eliminating risks. We strive to create the conditions and promote behaviour for a safe working environment.

  1. We passionately believe in the importance of providing a healthy and safe environment for employees and other third parties to protect against personal injury and property damage and considers legal requirements to be minimum standards.
  2. We recognise that one of its foremost duties and responsibilities to its employees is to provide and maintain healthy, safe, and hygienic working conditions and practices. It also recognises its duties and responsibilities to third parties, contractors and other people who are affected by our activities.
  3. We consider that management and employees should share this responsibility and that every individual has a personal responsibility to ensure that the Company’s safety rules and practices are observed. Furthermore, every employee has an obligation to co-operate with management in maintaining high standards of health and safety.
  4. We believe that the provision and maintenance of safe premises, working environment,plant and equipment, the selection and training of staff, adequate instruction/supervision, and the provision of information, are all crucial to the success inside and outside of the business.

Pentagon Food Group also recognise that employee mental health can have a big impact and also a health condition on our employees wellbeing, inside and outside of work. We are committed to support our employees when they feel that they need to reach out with our Human Resources Team actively promoting well being and support with all off our colleagues. Pentagon Food Group are also proud to be affiliated with the Mental health charter.

This means that pentagon food group are committed to:

  1. recognising that mental health challenges can be an issue within the workplace and employees may need support.
  2. talking openly, respectfully, and positively about mental health
  3. getting the conversation started around mental health and recognising we all have mental health, just like we have physical health.
  4. actively supporting and informing your employees affected by mental health challenges.

We are also proud that we have achieved Mental Health Committed Employer Membership and will commit to the principles of the mental health charter, for employers who care.

Clocking Up the Miles

How we treat our vehicles and the environment

We understand that as the Pentagon Food Group is one of the Largest Food Distributors in the Mid & North West, that as well as our Transport Team, we also depend on our fleet of trucks, that can deliver our quality products to our valued customers. The combined fleet, travel thousands of miles each week, and we ensure we operate in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. Planning for the long-term is something that has become second nature to us, so we understand why protecting the environment is such an important issue.

We are proud of the Team that operate our fleet and through training, “toolbox chats” and ongoing feedback, we will always ensure that our carbon footprint is minimised through responsible driving and vehicle maintenance. We also promote that our vehicles are not left with the vehicle engine idling as we understand that diesel engines fuel consumption when idling is substantially more than the amount of fuel needed to restart the engine and minimises unnecessary emissions.

Our transport coordinators are always monitoring the daily routes, to ensure that we optimise and plan the shortest distance, which then translates into lower CO2 emissions. We have invested significantly in technology and online portals that minimises the use for paper. For example, our Company operates a platform for fleet management, and common practice is that our drivers would complete the statutory vehicle inspection on a form or an inspection book. The portal makes this process completely paperless, whereby, through the APP, they complete the inspection online, and then the information is simply populated on the platform, with instant information. Not only is this a cost saving method, but it also helps our coordinator team minimise any further risk to the vehicle and out on the road.

Our extended team are our service partners, who maintain and make sure our vehicles are operating as efficiently as possible. We are proud to be associated with our partners, as the service and quality is testament to their service ethic and also helping us deliver as efficiently as we can to our customers, with minimal disruption.

Social Events & Activities

How we treat our employees

We believe that it is important that staff and colleagues socialise and mix with each other outside of normal work hours and get to know each other on a number of levels. Pre Covid 19 the PFG Team would actively meet up, challenge each other in different departments, and generally unwind away from our busy work environment. With restrictions lessened, it is our goal to reignite the “fun factor” with our work family, whether in social circles, social events or our inhouse spontaneous events

We always value our employees’ input, and it is important to canvas staff members, for ideas and suggestions as to how we can improve our calendar of social events and activities. We also operate our ONE VOICE initiative, which gives the team the opportunity to “have their say,” as we always find the best ideas are the ones that are shared.

Opinions Matter

How we treat our employees

As our values outline, we want our employees to be passionate, show commitment to their role and our Company and to be a part of our
Team Ethic. We can only be truly ONE TEAM, if everyone is going in one direction, and they have the opportunity to have their voice heard.

Our employees understand that we promote an open door policy, but if they do not feel comfortable speaking to their manager, then they

have the facility to communicate through our ONE VOICE initiative, and although a simple initiative, it is a great opportunity for employees
to be heard.

We have post boxes around the site, whereby our employees can post a postcard, which will have any comments including, ideas, recognition, and general observations.

We prefer our employees to speak to us direct, but we also understand as an extremely proud
multi-cultural Company, that some of our employees may not feel comfortable doing so. It is
important to us that we really listen to our employees, to pave the way for them to speak.
We understand that some of our employees will never feel heard if they don’t feel comfortable
speaking up in the first place, and this also gives them the opportunity to have an anonymous and
easy-to-use process

But it is not enough to simply say that we are listening to our employees, and we make listening to them a priority. It’s important that our
manager’s develop active listening skills, so our team knows that the manager is really listening to what they have to say. Improving our
managers listening skills will also make them a better leader, which can only enhance their career the culture of our business

Sharing the Senior Managers’ professional opinions with our employees, is an integral part of our workplace teamwork efforts. As ONE
TEAM, discussing different points of view promotes brainstorming, generates new ideas and leads to more effective project planning, as well as ownership, pride, and recognition.

We also value the opinions of our valued customers, as without them, PFG would not be the successful Company that it is today. Our core
service ethic is that “we always put the customer at the forefront of everything we do.” Our dedicated Customer Services Team are always on hand to speak to our customers and take full ownership, to help them from start to finish. We will always be open to opinions from our
customers as:

  1. Collecting customer feedback shows our customers that we are listening.
  2. Listening to our customers makes them feel valued, which grows retention and loyalty.
  3. Feedback helps us enhance & build a better customer experience.
  4. Customer feedback helps other customers with their purchase decisions.

It is incredibly important that everyone thinks through their actions or unanticipated consequences, by taking time to listen and understand all perspectives prior to making decisions. We believe that spending more time in the problem, understanding the full implications rather than reacting on impulse, will stand PFG in good stead as we move forward with our plans. We listen to our team and our customers, as they are an important part of the process and the future.

Customer Report

How we treat our customers

We put the customers at the forefront of everything we do, and it is our primary purpose to supply our customers with high quality products and services, to enable them to succeed in a challenging marketplace. To facilitate this, Pentagon Food Group has distinct strategies for each sector in which it operates.

We understand that price will always be a key consideration, but we are extremely competitive due to our buying power, and we are extremely proud that we have put in place key initiatives on availability, service levels, product range and customer support. We serve over 1200 businesses in the UK, and not every customer is the same.

Our customers cannot rely on their gut feeling about a food supplier as it is a huge responsibility to select a supplier that will stick with them, overall, delivering the goods on time, and in good quality as well. When our customers have created a list of their needs , we will work passionately to accommodate their requirements, and will tailor our services according to their needs.

We always go above and beyond for our customers, enquiring about their preferred methods of delivery, what services they require, ensuring quality assurance methods, and offering different payment options. We are also immensely proud that we offer significant help in gathering information about the current market, as we obtain a lot of knowledge about the industry that we work in. This is of course going to require interpersonal skills to be used on our part such as building a rapport with our customers and giving them the confidence to have a long and successful relationship with PFG.

We do not have customers, we have extended PFG family members!

Supplier Support

Dealing with our supply chain

The success we have achieved over the years would not have been possible without the support of our supplier partners. We seek to establish mutually beneficial relationships with all our suppliers and encourage them to match our high standards in respect of quality, working conditions, trading practices, health and safety and environmental protection. We collaborate closely with them to keep them up to date with the changing concerns that may arise in an open manner.

With regards to our own label products all suppliers (regardless of certification status) are required to undergo and pass an independent due-diligence and technical inspection by Capital for Pentagon Food Group.

When we collaborate with our suppliers we look for:

  1. Accountability for quality issues
  2. Production capabilities and availability
  3. Expertise in our product types and target market
  4. Culture fit and the best suppliers who are willing to work with us
  5. Ease of communication
  6. Ethical approach and compliance
  7. Regulatory compliance
  8. A proactive attitude towards continuous improvement

Supporting Suppliers Locally & Abroad

Dealing with our supply chain

Much of the meat and produce, such as eggs, milk, vegetables, sold at Pentagon Food Group are sourced locally, farm assured and fully traceable. The group can also supply halal and organic meat. Foodservice working in partnership with its suppliers and customers is dedicated to the continuous improvement and development of products and sources to meet the demands of an increasingly sophisticated market.

Our team of fresh produce buyers collaborate closely with British growers to offer local produce when in season, whilst our technologists assist local growers in maintaining their standards of operation. Our aim is to provide a world-class service in the supply and distribution of imported fresh produce.

We are proud that our Supply Chain Team consistently focus on:
  1. Food Safety
  2. Quality Control
  3. Global supplier development
  4. Managing a comprehensive auditing program of our supply base
  5. Ensuring full traceability from farm to consumer
  6. Ensuring full HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)

Food Health Report

Supporting initiatives to help improve public health

Our ongoing aim at Pentagon Food Group is to continuously drive to offering healthier and sustainable choices as we know that it is at the heart of our customers and our suppliers, as well as our Company. There are different subjects involved, and we will work together across the supply chain, to help understand where our food comes from, how we can source responsibly and influence our suppliers how it is produced.

We will always work closely with our suppliers to understand where our suppliers trade and source from, what packaging they use, the working conditions of their sites, their ethical responsibilities, and the impact it will have on our Company and our customers.

Our Company and Supply Chain will continue to work with our suppliers to improve our offers on healthy products. Our aims include to:

  1. Reduce salt and artificial additives on our own label ranges.
  2. Adopt a clear format for nutritional information on own brand packaging.
  3. Continue to develop and promote healthy own label food products.
  4. Continue to develop our fresh produce

Environment Report

Our commitment to help protect the planet

Pentagon Food Group has identified several key goals to measure success against in order to minimise the environmental impacts of its business operations.

  1. Improve our environmental performance and integrate, where feasible, recognised environmental management best practice into our business operations
  2. Improve the efficient use of resources
  3. Manage waste generated from our business operations with the aim of reducing waste landfill and encouraging the re-use and recycling of waste
  4. Always giving consideration to environmental issues and energy performance in the acquisition, design, refurbishment, location and use of buildings
  5. Ensure environmental criteria, including climate change, are considered in the procurement of goods and services, where practical
  6. Work together with our employees, customers, suppliers, and any other business associates to promote improved environmental performance
  7. Review our environmental policy regularly

Other PFG Commitments

Out in the neighbourhood

We are proud to say that we work closely with Stoke on Trent Government on two very important topics, that is close to their hearts as well as ours

Firstly, we work with the Employment, Skills, Enterprise and Growth / Housing, Development and Growth Directorate, whereby, the U.K government’s “Plan for Jobs” is helping millions of people across the country who have been directly impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19). We know that those who have been out of work for longer periods might need extra help to move back into employment. Working with the local government team, we have been able to recruit and break down employment barriers that could be holding claimants back from finding work. The result of this relationship has introduced new colleagues who have settled into work life again, Enhanced their confidence and are now proud employees of Pentagon Food Group

Secondly, Pentagon Food Group are actively involved in the Stoke on Trent & Staffordshire Careers Hub. The scheme is committed to creating powerful relationships between education and employers to help every young adult find their best next step in the “World Of Work” or WOW as they know it. This is a voluntary scheme that our Group HR Manager has enrolled as an Enterprise Advisor, working closely with the enterprise team at SOT Government.

Our company are honoured to be affiliated with Biddulph High School who have the highest of standards when it comes to careers benchmarks and the passion to ensure that their students are fully prepared for the world of work.