McVities

How ethical is McVities?

McVities is a biscuit brand which has a below-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Biscuits Ratings Table. Although McVities has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

We would have extra confidence in McVities if it applied  for Ethical Accreditation, whereby The Good Shopping Guide would make further detailed assessment and recommendations for ethical improvement. Find out more about the ethical issues facing the Biscuits sector.

What does McVities do?

McVitie’s is a British snack food brand owned by United Biscuits. The name derives from the original Scottish biscuit maker, McVitie & Price, Ltd., established in 1830 on Rose Street in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In which areas does McVities perform poorly?

McVities was marked down under our criteria for Palm Oil as its products contain this ingredient, and for our Organic and Vegetarian criteria due to a lack of certification. Find out more about how we rate by exploring our ethical criteria.

Past Criticisms of McVities’ record

McVities was one of the brands whose owners (Yildiz Holding)  were given a ‘poor’ rating by The Palm Oil Scan app from WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) for its use of palm oil in 2023. Yildiz was also given a very low score of 9% by Forest 500 which identifies companies which have the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risks and assesses them on their deforestation and human rights commitments.

In which areas does McVities score well for its ethics?

McVities gets a top score for its Environmental Report, as its parent company, Pladis Foods, has a Sustainability Report 2022 with good targets in several areas as well as evidence of progress made. It also gets a top score for GM due to its Non-GMO statement.

We found no criticisms of McVities relating to Nuclear, Fossil Fuels, Animal Welfare, Political Donations or Armaments, so it scores well for these criteria.

How can McVities improve its ethical rating?

The below-benchmark score that McVities is awarded with on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Biscuits Ratings Table is the result of an evaluation of multiple ethical criteria.

To reach our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, McVities has some issues to resolve, including its use of palm oil. If it applies for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide will be able to give McVities some guidance on how to improve its score.

Were you aware that your brand could benefit from Ethical Accreditation? Brands accredited by The Good Shopping Guide can display our Ethical Mark, showcasing to consumers that it is an ethical and sustainable brand. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us or complete a Free Initial Assessment form.