The Food and Beverages Sector Standard will be the first to test GRIโs new streamlined approach to developing Sector Standards. The aim is to make the development process more efficient while maintaining GRIโs established due process.
The Food and Beverages Sector Standard will be the first to test GRIโs new streamlined approach to developing Sector Standards. The aim is to make the development process more efficient while maintaining GRIโs established due process.
๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: GRI aims to significantly reduce the time required to develop Sector Standards, enabling new sector guidance to be delivered more efficiently.
๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐: The approach will identify the sustainability topics and impacts that are particularly significant to a sector, helping establish the scope of the relevant guidance.
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐: Rather than creating an entirely new set of disclosures for every industry, the approach will connect sector-specific impacts with relevant existing GRI Topic Standards.
๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: Building on existing standards can reduce the need for overlapping disclosures and create a more streamlined reporting structure.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: While the development process is being streamlined, GRI will continue to follow its established due-process approach and incorporate input from relevant stakeholders and sector experts.
๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐: As the first project under the new approach, the food and beverage standard will also help GRI assess how the methodology can be applied to future Sector Standards.
The new standard is still under development and does not yet introduce a new reporting requirement. However, its development gives companies an opportunity to assess whether their current reporting systems are equipped to capture the impacts that matter most across their operations and value chains. Companies can use this period to strengthen several areas:
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐: Reassess the environmental and social impacts associated with operations, products and value chains.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ-๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐: Identify where significant impacts may arise across agricultural, aquaculture, fishing and other sourcing activities.
๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐: Assess whether relevant sustainability data is available, reliable and supported by appropriate internal processes.
๐๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ-๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Strengthen processes for obtaining sustainability information that sits outside direct company operations.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด: For companies already using GRI Standards, assess whether current disclosures adequately address the issues most relevant to the sector.
๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑโ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: Track the emerging guidance and identify where reporting processes, governance or data systems may need to evolve.
These steps can help companies build readiness without waiting for the final standard to be published.
The Food and Beverages Sector Standard remains under development, with GRI currently seeking sector expertise and stakeholder input. Applications for the Food and Beverages Sector Standard Peer Review Group are open until 23 October 2026, providing an opportunity for relevant experts to contribute to the development process. The project is expected to continue through 2027, with GRI targeting approval of the final Sector Standard in the fourth quarter of 2027. Until then, companies should avoid making assumptions about the final requirements. Instead, the development process provides a window to strengthen existing reporting practices, improve value-chain data and follow how the standard evolves. For food and beverage companies, preparing for this shift is not simply about collecting more metrics. It means understanding where significant impacts occur, how they move through the value chain, and whether the underlying data and governance processes can support credible reporting. Strengthening these foundations now can help companies respond more effectively as sector-specific guidance develops.
Cognitud supports organizations in translating evolving sustainability reporting requirements into practical reporting, data and governance processes. For food and beverage companies, this includes assessing applicable sustainability reporting requirements, identifying and prioritizing material environmental and social impacts, conducting materiality and impact assessments, mapping sustainability impacts and data across the value chain, and identifying reporting, governance and data gaps. Cognitud also helps organizations strengthen supplier and value-chain data collection, develop sustainability reporting processes and controls, and align their disclosures with GRI and other relevant sustainability reporting frameworks. As the GRI Food and Beverages Sector Standard takes shape, companies have an opportunity to go beyond preparing for a future reporting requirement and build stronger visibility into the impacts that matter most to their business and stakeholders.
.png)
Abhigyan Gupta
Advance your strategy with solutions calibrated to your market environment.
The new GRI Food and Beverages Sector Standard is an initiative to provide sector-specific sustainability reporting guidance for food processing, beverage manufacturing and tobacco products. It aims to help companies report more consistently on their significant impacts across operations and value chains. The standard is currently under development
The GRI Standards provide a structured approach to identifying material impacts and reporting relevant sustainability information. They help companies organize data, explain their management approaches and communicate their environmental and social performance to stakeholders.
The standard is currently under development and does not yet establish a new reporting requirement. Its eventual applicability will depend on the final standard and the reporting context of each organization. Companies should monitor GRI updates and applicable regulatory obligations.
Companies can improve ESG reporting by establishing clear data ownership, standardizing collection methods, engaging suppliers, documenting calculation methodologies and implementing review controls. Reliable data and consistent governance processes support more credible sustainability disclosures.
GRI Sector Standards identify sustainability topics and impacts that are particularly relevant to specific industries. They complement the GRI Universal and Topic Standards by helping organizations understand which sector-related impacts may be relevant to their reporting.
