How Corporate Progress Is Assessed Using the Four Spotlight Indicators

Companies are evaluated against 37 questions covering all three categories, with the results grouped into four indicators that together reflect overall progress:

1. Recognition

Do companies publicly acknowledge the need for change—recognising animal sentience, supporting the protein transition and advancing positive farming systems —and understand that meaningful food system transformation depends on progress across all three areas?

2. Commitments

Have companies developed robust policies and set clear, measurable and time‑bound commitments?

3. Measurement & Reporting

Do companies track and report their progress in a transparent fashion, using robust, consistent and meaningful metrics?

4. Implementation

Are companies turning their commitments into concrete actions and delivering measurable outcomes on the ground?

NOTE: Greater weighting is given to implementation and demonstrated impact, recognising that real change is achieved through delivery—not just ambition.

FST Spotlight Assessment Scoring: How the Evaluation System Works

Each company receives a percentage performance rating based on their final score. Where specific animal species are not present in a company’s supply chain, or where a question is not applicable to that food business, scores are proportionally adjusted to ensure fair and consistent comparison across all companies.
Scores are weighted to prioritise implementation and impact over stated pledges
Results enable benchmarking both across companies and within each individual assessment area, providing a clear view of relative performance and progress.

NOTE: All assessed companies received the full Spotlight questions and scoring criteria. These will be available publicly for the next iteration.

Assessment Process & Quality Assurance: Ensuring Fair and Transparent Evaluation

The FST Spotlight follows a clear and transparent assessment process:

All assessments are based on publicly available information from each company’s own website (with one click to an external webpage permitted).
All companies are given the opportunity to review their provisional scores and provide feedback.
All feedback is carefully considered before final scores are confirmed.
Each company receives a confidential, individual FST Spotlight performance report. All public communications for this first iteration will focus on high-level findings, with the intention to publish company-level results from the 2026 Assessment in Spring 2027.