Food Network for Ethical Trade

What Food Network for Ethical Trade does

Food Network for Ethical Trade (FNET) is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation established in 2016 by six large UK food suppliers to coordinate a supplier-led, pre-competitive approach to managing human rights risks in global food supply chains. It serves 80+ member companies, including major UK food retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, Co-op, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Lidl, John Lewis Partnership, Burger King UK), manufacturers (Bakkavor, Pilgrim's Europe, Samworth Brothers, Cook, Hilton Food Group), and processors/importers (Dole UK, BerryWorld UK, Westfalia Fruit UK, Worldwide Fruit). Membership is restricted to companies with a UK registered address and at least one year of UK trading or supply.

FNET's product portfolio is built around shared knowledge infrastructure rather than a standalone software product. The core technology is a WordPress-based members' website hosting the FNET Risk Assessment Tool (used by 60% of members and referenced in nearly 25% of members' Modern Slavery Statements), the FNET Country Risk Rating, the UK Food Supply Chain Serious Incident Escalation and Management Protocol (co-developed with BRC, Stronger Together, MSIN, FPC, ALP), the Process for Managing Collaborative Action Required (CAR) Findings (with BRC), the 2024 Theory of Change, the Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement Guidance (with Oxfam and six other international bodies), and the Responsible Recruitment Practices study in tuna processing. The network operates six thematic working groups (Developing Common Due Diligence Tools; Climate Change & Human Rights; Raw Materials & Services; Empowering Work; Responsible Recruitment; Responsible Procurement) supported by fortnightly calls, quarterly thematic webinars, weekly newsletters, and biannual in-person all-member meetings hosted at member company headquarters. The Seafood Ethics Action (SEA) Special Interest Group was integrated in March 2026, adding seafood-specific human rights due diligence capability.

FNET's business model is a pure subscription model: annual membership fees in three tiers based on member annual sales turnover (Small <£1B: £4,187.78 + £850 joining fee; Medium £1-5B: £5,248.35; Large >£5B: £7,580.95, for 2026-27). Membership is acquired through a community-led, peer-referral GTM motion supported by biannual in-person events, thematic webinars, working group participation, and direct email enquiry. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; FNET is a not-for-profit with no external investment, no parent company, and a 4-person core team led by Executive Director Louise Nicholls.

Name

Food Network for Ethical Trade

Legal name

Food Network for Ethical Trade

Website

https://foodnetworkforethicaltrade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FNET is a UK not-for-profit membership organisation, founded in 2016, that convenes 80+ UK food retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers to collaboratively address human rights due diligence in food supply chains through shared risk assessment tools, working groups, and member-led protocols, funded by tiered annual subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Albans

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: FNET generates revenue through annual membership fees charged across three pricing tiers based on company annual sales turnover (small <£1B, medium £1-5B, large >£5B). Fees include a one-time joining fee and an annual membership subscription. This is the primary and sole revenue stream for the not-for-profit organisation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FNET is a not-for-profit membership organisation that runs a pre-competitive, supplier-led network of UK food companies collaborating to identify and address human rights risks in food supply chains. Members access a portfolio of services including shared risk assessment tools, working groups, regulatory compliance guidance, peer learning events and member-only resources, delivered through tiered annual membership subscriptions.

Product overview

FNET is a not-for-profit membership organization (established 2016) offering a collaborative network of food companies to improve human rights in supply chains. Rather than a unified software product, FNET provides a portfolio of membership services including working group collaboration (6 thematic groups), practical tools (Risk Assessment Tool, Country Risk Rating, guidance documents), continuous learning (newsletters, webinars, meetings), and the Seafood Ethics Action Special Interest Group. Members access these services through annual membership tiers based on company size (Small, Medium, Large). The organization does not offer a software product but rather advisory services, collaborative spaces, and resource sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FNET Risk Assessment Tool Shared, evidence-based tool that provides a view of human rights risks in food supply chains to support consistent, proportionate and credible action by FNET members; enables members to identify and prioritise higher-risk commodities and countries, focus due diligence efforts and align approaches across the UK food sector.
• FNET Country Risk Rating

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of members use the FNET Risk Assessment Tool to identify risks; nearly 25% of members' Modern Slavery Statements reference FNET's support with risk assessment.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OxfamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Oxfam primarily authored the Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance for food and agriculture, co-developed and co-financed with FNET and six other organisations. This guidance supports companies in embedding meaningful stakeholder engagement aligned with OECD guidelines and EU regulatory requirements (CSRD, CSDDD).
• AIM-ProgresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Co-developed and co-financed the Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance for food and agriculture alongside FNET, Oxfam, amfori, ETI, Ethical Trade Sweden, and Fair Labor Association.
• amforicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Co-developed and co-financed the Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance for food and agriculture alongside FNET and other sector organisations.
• Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Co-developed and co-financed the Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance for food and agriculture alongside FNET and other sector organisations.
• Ethical Trade SwedencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Co-developed and co-financed the Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance for food and agriculture alongside FNET and other sector organisations.
• Fair Labor AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Co-developed and co-financed the Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance for food and agriculture alongside FNET and other sector organisations.
• Seafish Industry AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Seafish fiscally sponsored and hosted the Seafood Ethics Action (SEA) Alliance from its founding in 2018 through March 2026. At end of March 2026, SEA Alliance found a new home within FNET as the Seafood Ethics Action Special Interest Group, bringing seafood-specific human rights expertise to FNET's membership.
• Inherently HumanminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Inherently Human is facilitating FNET's new Responsible Procurement Working Group for 2026-27, providing practical guidance on responsible procurement principles and supporting cross-functional learning between buyers and sustainability professionals.
• Stronger TogetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the development of the UK Food Supply Chain Serious Incident Escalation and Management Protocol, alongside FPC, ALP, BRC, and MSIN.
• British Retail Consortium (BRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in developing the Serious Incident Escalation Protocol and the Process for Managing CAR Findings (with BRC), demonstrating cross-industry alignment on ethical trade standards.
• ImpacttminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImpactt was commissioned by a consortium of FNET seafood members to conduct a study on responsible recruitment practices and Employer Pays Principle implementation in the global tuna processing sector.
• Rainforest AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to FNET All-Members Day (May 2023) presenting on shifting from risk to action on human rights due diligence, sharing new worker engagement tools and HREDD support programme insights.
• TwentyfiftyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerShared key learnings from human rights work at FNET All-Members Day (May 2023), including insights on enabling action through full value chain approaches and board-level engagement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI): UK-based alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs working on workers' rights in global supply chains. Operates the Base Code and is the closest direct comparator to FNET in mission and constituency, though with a broader (non-food) remit and longer history.
• Sedex: Ethical data platform for supply chains, originally founded by FNET's Executive Director Louise Nicholls. Closest peer in the UK ethical-trade ecosystem and a potential collaboration or competitive threat given its technology platform depth.
• AIM-Progress: Global forum of consumer goods companies focused on responsible sourcing. Co-develops guidance with FNET and serves overlapping multinational FMCG members, making it a direct comparator on human rights due diligence tooling.
• amfori: Global business association supporting sustainable trade through open and qualified supply chains. Co-developed FNET's stakeholder engagement guidance and offers overlapping services (amfori BSCI, amfori BEPI) for shared member companies.
• Fair Labor Association (FLA): Multi-stakeholder initiative combining independent monitoring with company accountability on labour rights. Co-developed FNET's 2026 stakeholder engagement guidance and operates overlapping services for global supply chain labour compliance.
• Stronger Together: UK-focused initiative tackling modern slavery in supply chains. Co-developed the Serious Incident Escalation Protocol with FNET and addresses overlapping themes, though Stronger Together focuses more on operational toolkit delivery than networking.

Broad incumbents

• BRC (British Retail Consortium): UK retail trade association with broader scope than FNET but co-developed the Serious Incident Escalation Protocol and CAR management guidance. Represents incumbent retail influence on ethical trade standards.
• Rainforest Alliance: International NGO working on sustainable supply chains with a focus on agriculture and forestry. Has contributed to FNET All-Members Days and addresses overlapping themes (responsible recruitment, worker engagement) at greater scale.

Regional players

• Ethical Trade Sweden: Sweden-based member organisation promoting ethical trade in supply chains. Co-developed FNET's 2026 stakeholder engagement guidance and offers a direct regional analogue of FNET's model.

Emerging players

• Fairtrade Foundation: UK-based not-for-profit focused on fair trade certification and producer livelihoods. Project & Membership Manager at FNET previously spent 15 years at Fairtrade, indicating an adjacent proposition with consumer-facing rather than industry-collaboration focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodnetworkforethicaltrade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food Network for Ethical Trade