As we hope you know, Hello Chef’s purpose is to help people lead easier and more fulfilling lives. A big part of that has to do with improving the relationship and impact Hello Chef has on our people, our customers, our suppliers, the community, and our planet.

To make sure we work effectively together, we have created this supplier code of conduct so that we can be clear about what you can expect from a relationship with us, and what we expect from you as a Hello Chef supplier.

Please acknowledge the code by filling out and signing the section at the end. This is a prerequisite of doing business with Hello Chef for all suppliers whether of ingredients, products or services.

Some elements of the code are non-negotiable (the prerequisites listed below). Others indicate a direction of travel and can be worked towards over time. Compliance with the code is expected from all suppliers and their own upstream suppliers. We reserve the right to verify this through audits, information requests or visits as required.

We recognise that putting in place new social, environmental and sustainability metrics may not happen overnight. Acceptance of the code is a commitment on your behalf to work with us towards a more sustainable future. Hello Chef will provide help and support wherever we can, for example through helping to establish milestones or developing longer-term agreements to ensure continuous improvement.

All operations must be undertaken within the legal framework of the country of operation and comply with the legal requirements of the United Arab Emirates.

All discussions, shared data and knowledge will remain confidential between us at all times unless otherwise mutually agreed.

We really value our business relationships and welcome feedback either formally or informally. If you have ideas on how things can be improved between us, please tell us. We’ll ask you from time to time, and are working on improving our process of collecting feedback from our suppliers all the time.

Fairness All employees whether permanent or contracted are expected to be treated with fairness and without being subjected to any form of discrimination or psychological, physical, sexual, or verbal abuse or harassment.

All contact with Hello Chef employees or associates will always be conducted with respect and fairness.

Child Labour The use of child labour (children younger than 18 years old as stipulated in UAE legislation) by any supplier or its associates is strictly prohibited.

Young workers If young employees (under the age of 18) are used, such as vocational work etc., they must not be subjected to any conditions that may harm physical, mental, or emotional development.

Working hours All employees must work within local laws and mandatory standards to ensure that breaks, rest days, total hours, holidays, etc. are fairly provided and managed.

Employment practices Only employees who are legally eligible to work may be employed in any capacity. All work shall be voluntary, and workers must be free to leave work or terminate their employment after reasonable notice.

Employees must be provided with wages and benefits that, as a minimum, comply with all national legal requirements and must be enough to meet the basic needs of employees and their dependents.

Suppliers should be aiming to implement enhanced employment practices that benefit employees and their families wherever possible. We expect all staff or contractors to your business to have appropriate and easily accessible channels through which to express grievances or exchange views frankly and honestly and these will be responded to or resolved within agreed timescales.

Modern slavery and forced labour Hello Chef is committed to ensuring that no part of its supply chain (or those that come into contact with it) benefits from activities connected with modern slavery or forced labour. We expect our suppliers to be taking appropriate steps to guard against modern slavery and forced labour.

Workplace environment All employees must have a safe and healthy working environment with adequate lighting, potable drinking water, risk protection and adequate personal, protective equipment (PPE) as required, but also be suitably trained in handling any equipment that may be deemed necessary to perform their function.

Crisis management A documented crisis plan must be in place to cover worker safety, emergency training and first aid as well as disaster recovery managing product availability, safety, and welfare in the event of the partial or total loss of facilities.

Product safety All products and services delivered by the supplier must meet the quality, legal and safety standards required both by law and to comply with Hello Chef requirements.

Hello Chef requires all suppliers to comply with all applicable ethical trading laws and regulations in the countries where materials are sourced, produced, and delivered.

Written policies must be in place prohibiting bribery, corruption and similarly prohibited business practices.

Any conflict of interest that may affect the relationship between a supplier and Hello Chef must be declared and all intellectual property rights must be respected. Suppliers must review and commit to upholding the Hello Chef anti-corruption and bribery policy, which can be found here.

Suppliers must agree to reasonable requests for the sharing of information in the spirit of transparency.

Suppliers shall provide an internal mechanism for reporting, investigating and remedying any misconduct in the workplace, and ensure that whistle-blowers do not suffer any detrimental treatment as a result of raising a genuine concern. We are able to support you in creating an accurate mechanism if necessary. By working with us, you agree to the provisions of our whistleblower policy, which can be found here.

Compliance At Hello Chef, we care about our planet and work hard to minimise our impact as far as possible. Therefore, our suppliers need to comply with all local environmental laws and regulations.

As a company, we have set targets to reduce our environmental impact. Suppliers shall support us to achieve these targets by annually filling in our supplier evaluation form.

Chemicals Suppliers shall track all hazardous and non-hazardous chemical emissions. Additionally, suppliers shall document how chemicals are disposed of.

Resource conservation and climate protection Suppliers should use natural resources (e.g. water, sources of energy, raw materials) in an economical way wherever possible. Negative impacts on the environment and climate should be minimised or eliminated at the source or by practices such as the modification of production, maintenance and facility processes, material substitution, conservation, recycling and material re-use. Suppliers should engage in the development and use of climate-friendly products and processes to reduce power consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

We want to build a long-term relationship that enables us to enjoy shared prosperity in the future. So as a supplier to Hello Chef you can expect the following: