Conagra Brands Earns Nod for Disability Inclusion Efforts

CHICAGO — The Disability Equality Index (DEI) recognized Conagra Brands Inc. as one of the "Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion."

DEI represents a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. 

"I am proud of what the Conagra team has accomplished and we remain highly motivated to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace," said Henry Jones, senior director of diversity and inclusion at Conagra Brands. "We are focused on driving intentional outcomes that reflect our values and have a tangible impact within our workforce and in our communities."

To be named Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion, companies must earn an 80 or above on a scale of zero to 100.

Collaboratively, DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities, the nation's largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities.

"Disability inclusion is a rapidly expanding aspect of corporate culture, and it's gratifying to partner with 415 companies on the 2022 Disability Equality Index," said Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN. "These top-scoring companies not only excel in disability inclusion, many are also adopting emerging trends and pioneering measures that can move the disability agenda from accommodation to inclusion and ultimately, genuine belonging."

Chicago-based Conagra Brands' portfolio includes Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim and Angie's Boomchicapop. 

Earlier this year, Conagra was also named Category Captain for Salty Snacks by Convenience Store News. 

Increased Leadership Roles 

Last month, Disability:IN released its 2022 Disability Equality Index report at Disability:IN's Global Conference in Dallas, revealing that more companies are employing people with disabilities in leadership roles than last year.

Companies are also trying to make their corporate boards of directors more inclusive of people with disabilities, such as through amendments to their board nominating and governance charters. 

The 2022 DEI saw a record 415 companies participate, including 69 Fortune 100s, a 30 percent increase from 319 companies in 2021.

New trends from this year's participants include:

• Leadership diversity: 126 companies have a senior executive (the CEO or within the first two layers reporting to the CEO) who is internally known as being a person with a disability vs. 99 companies in 2021
• Boardroom diversity: 10 percent of companies now have documents that govern nominations of board directors that specifically mention the consideration of people with disabilities, and 6 percent have someone who openly identifies as having a disability serving on their company's corporate board
• Supplier diversity: 74 percent of companies have expenditures with disability-owned businesses

In addition, the DEI shows a high level of engagement in ongoing disability inclusion practices such as:

• Accommodations: 96 percent of businesses provide flexible work options
• Recruiting: 60 percent of companies have external disability hiring objectives
• Accessibility: 50 percent are investing in cutting-edge technology to improve digital accessibility

To download the full Diversity Equality Index report, click here.