public snack and confectionery company

Mondelez International

Industry Food

A global public snack company selling cookies, crackers, chocolate, candy, and gum through brands including Oreo, Ritz, Cadbury, Toblerone, and Trident. Mondelez International scores low because of documented human harm, ecological harm, and toxic or materially harmful products, with centralized governance and weak stakeholder ownership reinforcing the negative evaluation.

Why this matters: Mondelez is weak because it combines ultra-processed snack products with cocoa-labor and sourcing controversies inside a global brand machine.

Letter grade F Malignant Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 10, 2026

Final Score -13* F - Malignant

FMALIGNANT-13 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material18

Bonus+0

Cap35Ownership <= 2 and Governance <= 2

After Cap18

Penalties-31

Private Government badge

Mondelez International receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $1.7M on public policy issues.

Evidence: [12]

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Evaluation Overview

F - Malignant

The score turns mainly on Extraction, with the largest penalty coming from Human Harm.

Strengths

Extraction4/10
Market Conduct3/5
Labor Sovereignty2/7

Penalties

Human Harm-7
Policy Capture-6
Ecological Harm-4
Toxic Products-4

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims12
Direct axis claims11
Coverage11/18

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	1 / 10	Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. Linked evidence Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	1 / 10	Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. Linked evidence context Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	4 / 10	Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. That places Mondelez International in the middle of Extraction: the institution creates real value but still leaves room for rent extraction, unequal bargaining, or surplus capture. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence context Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1] context Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions. [2] context Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. [3]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	2 / 7	Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. Linked evidence context Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1] context Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions. [2] context Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. [3]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	1 / 7	Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. Linked evidence context Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1] context Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions. [2] context Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. [3]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	2 / 7	Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. Linked evidence context Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1] context Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions. [2] context Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. [3]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	3 / 5	Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. That places Mondelez International in the middle of Market Conduct: the product has real value but still uses meaningful lock-in, gatekeeping, market power, or dependency. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence context Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. [3] context Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1] context Mondelez faces allegations that ethical cocoa representations obscure unresolved child-labor and sourcing problems, describes conduct considered under Accountability Opacity. [4]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	2 / 5	Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. That places Mondelez International in the middle of Product Integrity: the product has real use value but is compromised by incentives, monetization, lock-in, quality degradation, or risk. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. [3] context Mondelez’s ordinary products are cookies, candy, chocolate, crackers, and gum; sugar, salt, refined starch, and ultra-processing justify a severe Toxic Products penalty. [5]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	2 / 5	Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. That places Mondelez International in the middle of Scale Integrity: scale brings useful reach but also weakens accountability, transparency, or local constraint. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence context Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company. [1] context Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business. [3] context Mondelez’s chocolate and packaged-snack supply chains carry cocoa-deforestation, packaging, and agricultural-footprint concerns. [6]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Human Harm ? Severity, scale, culpability, vulnerable targets, willful reoffense, reputation laundering, pattern escalation, and time decay. Range: -20 to 0.	-7	Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions. Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions. That warrants a substantial Human Harm penalty because ordinary operation, documented misconduct, or institutional power creates serious injury, deprivation, abuse, or foreseeable human damage. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions. [2]
Ecological Harm ? Footprint, trajectory, irreversibility, culpability, and scale, including whether ecological harm is central to the model and continued after credible notice. Range: -30 to 0.	-4	Mondelez’s chocolate and packaged-snack supply chains carry cocoa-deforestation, packaging, and agricultural-footprint concerns. Mondelez’s chocolate and packaged-snack supply chains carry cocoa-deforestation, packaging, and agricultural-footprint concerns. That warrants a limited Ecological Harm penalty because the institution causes or defends ecological damage that is more than incidental to the model. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Mondelez’s chocolate and packaged-snack supply chains carry cocoa-deforestation, packaging, and agricultural-footprint concerns. [6]
Policy Capture ? Private-interest attempts to bend law, regulation, subsidies, taxes, enforcement, trade, labor, safety, competition, environmental, healthcare, housing, surveillance, civil-liberties, or consumer policy against workers, customers, citizens, affected communities, or ecological life. Public-interest advocacy is not penalized merely because it is lobbying. Range: -15 to 0.	-6	OpenLobby records MONDELEZ internet policyERNATIONAL lobbying on tax with about $1.7M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. OpenLobby records MONDELEZ internet policyERNATIONAL lobbying on tax with about $1.7M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. That warrants a substantial Policy Capture penalty because private institutional pressure is being applied to public rules while affected people cannot democratically govern that agenda. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence OpenLobby records MONDELEZ internet policyERNATIONAL lobbying on tax with about $1.7M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. [9]
High-Carbon Products ? Core products, services, financing, or supply chains that materially depend on fossil-fuel combustion, high-emissions transport, industrial animal agriculture, meat, dairy, or other unusually carbon-intensive activity. This is scored separately from general ecological harm so ordinary consumers can see carbon-intensive product exposure directly. Range: -10 to 0.	-2	The company sells mixed grocery, restaurant, or packaged-food products where meat, dairy, refrigerated logistics, or high-carbon ingredients are material but not necessarily the entire business model. Linked evidence Mondelez International has mixed food exposure high-carbon product exposure based on its listed business model and current profile description: A global public snack company selling cookies, crackers, chocolate, candy, and gum through brands including Oreo, Ritz, Cadbury, Toblerone, and Trident. Mondelez International scores low because of documented human harm… [10]
Toxic Products ? Current sale of products whose ordinary use, exposure, ingredients, residues, packaging, or formulation creates toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety risk. Food products receive at least light scrutiny for artificial colors, artificial flavors, petro-derived additives, pesticide residues, contaminants, endocrine-disrupting packaging, and ultra-processed formulation. Ordinary adult nightlife or alcohol service is not penalized by itself without evidence of predatory marketing, youth targeting, addiction-extractive design, or unusual product-safety misconduct. Range: -5 to 0.	-4	Mondelez’s ordinary products are cookies, candy, chocolate, crackers, and gum; sugar, salt, refined starch, and ultra-processing justify a severe Toxic Products penalty. Mondelez’s ordinary products are cookies, candy, chocolate, crackers, and gum; sugar, salt, refined starch, and ultra-processing justify a severe Toxic Products penalty. That warrants a severe Toxic Products penalty because ordinary use, exposure, ingredients, residues, packaging, or formulation creates material toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety risk. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Linked evidence Mondelez’s ordinary products are cookies, candy, chocolate, crackers, and gum; sugar, salt, refined starch, and ultra-processing justify a severe Toxic Products penalty. [5]
Youth Capture ? Manipulative youth-directed marketing, youth-data or attention monetization, collectible/add-on traps, parasocial or identity capture, surprise mechanics, or treating young people as lower-disclosure consumers. Making useful toys or welcoming children is not itself penalized. Range: -5 to 0.	-3	Mondelez was among companies named in litigation alleging addictive ultra-processed products marketed toward children, describes conduct considered under Youth Capture treatment. Mondelez was among companies named in litigation alleging addictive ultra-processed products marketed toward children, describes conduct considered under Youth Capture treatment. That warrants a substantial Youth Capture penalty because young people are treated as manipulable consumers, data sources, attention targets, or culture markets. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence Mondelez was among companies named in litigation alleging addictive ultra-processed products marketed toward children, describes conduct considered under Youth Capture treatment. [7]
Shrinkflation ? Reducing product quantity, count, usable volume, or package contents without a proportionate price reduction, especially when the change is not clearly announced at the shelf, package front, or purchase interface. Openly labeled size changes are less severe than quiet downsizing. Range: -5 to 0.	-2	Mondelez belongs in a narrower shrinkflation tier because the Cadbury example is concrete: a smaller family-size bar with the recommended price unchanged. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Shrinkflation axis rollout; full column calibration should be revisited as product-level package-size evidence is added. Linked evidence The Guardian reported that Mondelez cut Cadbury family-size Dairy Milk bars by 10 percent while keeping the recommended retail price the same. [11]
Accountability Opacity ? Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.	-2	Mondelez faces allegations that ethical cocoa representations obscure unresolved child-labor and sourcing problems, describes conduct considered under Accountability Opacity. Mondelez faces allegations that ethical cocoa representations obscure unresolved child-labor and sourcing problems, describes conduct considered under Accountability Opacity. That warrants a severe Accountability Opacity penalty because material facts, risks, conflicts, ownership, or accountability information are obscured from the public. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Linked evidence Mondelez faces allegations that ethical cocoa representations obscure unresolved child-labor and sourcing problems, describes conduct considered under Accountability Opacity. [4]
Ideological Disavowal ? Concealed ideology presented as neutrality, expertise, professional necessity, public-service administration, market inevitability, or non-ideological common sense while exercising power. Range: -3 to 0.	-1	Mondelez markets snack pleasure and sustainability language while treating the political economy of cheap cocoa, sugar, and snack health as background rather than disclosed ideology. Mondelez markets snack pleasure and sustainability language while treating the political economy of cheap cocoa, sugar, and snack health as background rather than disclosed ideology. That warrants a limited Ideological Disavowal penalty because the institution presents situated, contested choices as neutrality, expertise, inevitability, safety, or common sense. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Mondelez markets snack pleasure and sustainability language while treating the political economy of cheap cocoa, sugar, and snack health as background rather than disclosed ideology. [8]

Bonus Credits

No bonus credits applied in this version.

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 72/100

11 verified linked claims 11 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 11/18 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 16/20

11 verified linked claims

Source quality 11/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 9/18

11 direct claims across 18 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 6/10

11/18 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)

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Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1Mondelez is a public shareholder-governed snack and confectionery company.

Ownership Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Mondelez investorsOfficial self-description · 68%

2Recent litigation and reporting allege that Mondelez ethical-sourcing claims coexist with cocoa supply chains affected by child labor and exploitative conditions.

Human Harm Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Justia: Pearson v. Mondelez Global LLCGeneral web source · 58%
ClassAction.org: Mondelez child labor lawsuit allegationsGeneral web source · 58%

3Mondelez’s portfolio includes major cookie, cracker, chocolate, candy, and gum brands, making ultra-processed snack foods central to the business.

Product Integrity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Mondelez brandsGeneral web source · 58%

4Mondelez faces allegations that ethical cocoa representations obscure unresolved child-labor and sourcing problems, describes conduct considered under Accountability Opacity.

Accountability Opacity Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Justia: Pearson v. Mondelez Global LLCGeneral web source · 58%

5Mondelez’s ordinary products are cookies, candy, chocolate, crackers, and gum; sugar, salt, refined starch, and ultra-processing justify a severe Toxic Products penalty.

Toxic Products Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Mondelez brandsGeneral web source · 58%
AP: San Francisco sues top food manufacturers over ultraprocessed foodsIndependent reporting · 82%

6Mondelez’s chocolate and packaged-snack supply chains carry cocoa-deforestation, packaging, and agricultural-footprint concerns.

Ecological Harm Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Justia: Pearson v. Mondelez Global LLCGeneral web source · 58%

7Mondelez was among companies named in litigation alleging addictive ultra-processed products marketed toward children, describes conduct considered under Youth Capture treatment.

Youth Capture Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Axios: food firms sued over addictive products marketed to kidsGeneral web source · 58%

8Mondelez markets snack pleasure and sustainability language while treating the political economy of cheap cocoa, sugar, and snack health as background rather than disclosed ideology.

Ideological Disavowal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 10, 2026

AI scaffold

Mondelez brandsGeneral web source · 58%

9OpenLobby records MONDELEZ internet policyERNATIONAL lobbying on tax with about $1.7M in spending across 32 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role.

Policy Capture Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

10Mondelez International has mixed food exposure high-carbon product exposure based on its listed business model and current profile description: A global public snack company selling cookies, crackers, chocolate, candy, and gum through brands including Oreo, Ritz, Cadbury, Toblerone, and Trident. Mondelez International scores low because of documented human harm…

High Carbon Products Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 11, 2026

Mondelez International public siteGeneral web source · 58%
Our World in Data: Environmental Impacts of Food ProductionGeneral web source · 58%

11The Guardian reported that Mondelez cut Cadbury family-size Dairy Milk bars by 10 percent while keeping the recommended retail price the same.

Shrinkflation Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 13, 2026

AI scaffold

The Guardian: Cadbury family-size Dairy Milk bars get 10% smaller but price stays the sameIndependent reporting · 82%

12Mondelez International receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $1.7M on public policy issues.

Private Government Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

Alternatives

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