Arden Fine Foods (UK) Ltd Modern Slavery Statement for Financial Year 2026/27.
May 1st 2026 – 31 April 2027
Arden Fine Foods (UK) Ltd (Arden’s) is a business which supplies bakery products to the UK market. Our suppliers are based within Europe & UK.
The company is committed to eradicating Modern Slavery throughout its business. This policy outlines the steps that Arden’s has taken and will continue to take, to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within its business or supply chain.
Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. Arden’s has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery, acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all its business dealings. It is also committed to ensuring effective systems and controls are put in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within its business or supply chain.
Arden's Commitment
The business adheres to a number of policies and operates multiple procedures to ensure it conducts business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:
- Recruitment Policy. Arden’s operates a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility-to-work-in-the-UK checks for all employees, to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
- Whistle Blower policy. This ensures that employees know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within the business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
- Professional Code of Conduct. This code explains the way the organisation behaves and expectations of employees within it.
- Equal Opportunities Policy. This policy is to ensure fair treatment of all employees within the business environment.
- National Living Wage. This ensures that all employees of Arden’s receive pay in line with or above the national living wage.
- Health & Safety. Arden’s ensures that appropriate health and safety procedures are in place and training is provided to all, ensuring a safe and clean working environment.
- Arden’s is a category AB member of SEDEX (ZS1022988), which is an online platform that allows companies to share and manage supply chain information regarding labour standards, health and safety, the environment and business ethics. As part of our membership we have visibility of SMETA audits conducted by third parties and can challenge suppliers appropriately.
- Supplier Distribution Agreement is a contract that sets out current Ethical Trade expectations of suppliers. All Arden’s suppliers must comply with these guidelines in order to agree business with the company.
Our Supply Chain - Our Bakery Partners
Arden’s requires our suppliers to comply with the Supplier Agreement Contract and maintains a preferred supplier list.
We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become a preferred supplier.
This due diligence includes an online search, including use of its SEDEX membership, to ensure that the organisation has never been convicted of offenses relating to modern slavery.
The Arden’s Supplier Agreement contract requires suppliers to conform with the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code.
Other due diligence steps include:
- Ensuring new suppliers uphold all standards and requirements in the Arden’s Supplier Agreement contract before adding them into the supply chain
- Annual review and mapping of supply chain
- Annual risk assessment of full supply chain including further analysis of how high-risk areas have improved.
- All our suppliers are encouraged to sign up to SEDEX
Approval for this statement.
This statement was signed on behalf of the Board of Directors, by Gareth Owen.