Bimbo Bakeries USA Announces 2021 Diversity, Equity & Belonging Report; Fred Penny and Nikki Lang Comment

For many people, one of our most fundamental desires is to belong. Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) aims to foster a supportive environment in which its employees can exist freely while producing the best work possible. Proving its efforts, the company recently released its 2021 Diversity, Equity & Belonging report: Our Foundation of Belonging. Not only does the report touch on the strategic framework of Workforce, Workplace, and Marketplace, but it introduces three-year goals and commitments.

“Our Foundation of Belonging Report highlights the progress of our past and our Diversity, Equity & Belonging path for the future,” said Fred Penny, President. “Recognizing we have much more work to do, we have established goals and commitments for the next three years to ensure that we remain results-oriented. Our goals are ambitious because we know that Bimbo Bakeries USA can be a leader in Diversity, Equity & Belonging.”

Highlights from the report include:

• Racial Equity Action Council (REAC): In 2021, BBU’s REAC influenced the company’s efforts to renew people practices, create a culture of Belonging, and promote racial equity in its communities
• Recruiting Enhancements: BBU expanded its diverse slate requirements to include diversity in both gender and race, as well as added its head of Diversity, Equity & Belonging in recruitment strategy and candidate debrief meetings
  
• Associate Development: All salaried associates are now required to take at least 1.5 hours of Racial Equity Strategy Training (REST) annually to continue BBU’s commitment to educate its associates on topics related to its Diversity, Equity & Belonging strategy
  
  Supplier Diversity: BBU introduced a Supplier Diversity Program to partner with vendors with diverse experience, viewpoints, and backgrounds

According to a press release, the company aims to increase representation in all levels of its workforce, providing Diversity, Equity & Belonging educational programming and training for all associates.

“We are committed to building a workforce, creating a work environment, and establishing a meaningful presence in the marketplace that actively promotes Diversity and Equity, and ultimately achieves Belonging for our associates and within our communities,” Nikki Lang, Head of Diversity, Equity & Belonging, commented on the report.

To read the report in full, please click here.

We can’t wait to see what Bimbo Bakeries USA does next!