Ella’s Kitchen Announces ‘B Corp’ Certification At 10-Year Anniversary Milestone

Feb. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Ella’s Kitchen®, the UK’s number one baby food brand and a brand of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAIN), today announced its certification as a B Corporation. It joins a prestigious global movement of certified B Corps spanning 42 countries across 130 industries, which have been recognized as pioneering companies that use business as a force for good.

As one of the UK’s most successful British growth businesses and a household name in countries across the world, the certification of Ella’s Kitchen as a B Corp is a landmark moment for the business as it aims to create a better world for future generations.

The announcement coincides with the tenth anniversary of Ella’s Kitchen and celebrates the company’s founding mission: to improve children’s lives through developing healthy relationships with food. This founding purpose is manifest in the company’s unique approach to the way it runs its business.

To certify as a B Corp, Ella’s Kitchen has demonstrated that it meets the rigorous standards of accountability, transparency and social and environmental performance required.

This has been evidenced through a number of initiatives it has spearheaded over the last ten years, including:

• Activism: campaigning to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood nutrition, Ella’s Kitchen published ‘Averting a Recipe for Disaster’ in 2013, a national manifesto to tackle rising rates of obesity and diabetes in the UK
• Collaboration: partnering with charities including Save the Children’s award-winning Families and Schools Together program
• People: providing personal development and progression opportunities, and a range of benefits to employees to ensure healthy, happy teams
• Products: developing innovative products which prioritize health and nutritional value, but never at the expense of taste or convenience

The long-term commitment of Ella’s Kitchen’s to being driven by a purpose beyond profit is now formally written into its articles of business and will help the business to create a better world for future generations.

B Corp is a global movement seeking to change the role of business in society. Ella’s Kitchen joins a group of over 1,600 certified B Corps across the globes, which have been recognized as pioneering companies that use business as a force for good. This includes trailblazing companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia and KickStarter. Since B Corp launched in the UK in September 2015, 78 companies have been certified as B Corps in the country.

Paul Lindley, Chairman and Founder, Ella’s Kitchen, commented: “We are thrilled to announce that Ella’s Kitchen is now a certified B Corp. It is a privilege to be part of a movement of businesses with a shared mission to transform the global economy for the better.”

“We are incredibly proud of how far we have come over the past ten years and grateful to our loyal base of customers who have helped their children to develop a positive, healthy relationship with food.”

“Ensuring business is used as a force for good in society is something that is very close to my heart; it was the founding purpose behind Ella’s Kitchen, and something I have been actively campaigning for in the UK for many years. This is just the tip of the iceberg; the time is now for more British businesses to take accountability for their social and environmental impact.”

Mark Cuddigan, Managing Director, Ella’s Kitchen, commented: “Becoming a certified B Corp is both proof of the force for good that Ella’s Kitchen has been over the last ten years and a signal of what is yet to come for the business through our continued commitment to our founding purpose and values.”

“I am excited about what we can achieve over the next ten years – leading further positive change and inspiring others to join us on this global mission to redefine the meaning of success in business.”

Irwin D. Simon, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., parent of Ella’s Kitchen, commented: “I am absolutely thrilled that Ella’s Kitchen has been certified as a B Corp. Hain Celestial’s purpose is to provide consumers with A Healthier Way of Life™, and Ella’s Kitchen is helping us lead the way.”

“Our company operates with the aligned B Corp mindset that business can and should be a force for good. To that end, Hain Celestial will participate on B Lab’s working committee, the Multinationals and Public Markets Advisory Council, to help assess a meaningful and manageable path for global and public companies to be accredited”.

“The B Corp movement has the potential to be one of the most important of our lifetime, leading the way in showing how business can serve shareholders, our communities and the planet,” concluded Irwin Simon.

James Perry, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, B Lab UK, commented: “Ella’s Kitchen is one of the UK’s entrepreneurial success stories of the past decade. Their certification as a B Corp is a demonstration to the UK’s business community that real change is coming. This is an exciting new chapter for B Corps in the UK.”

About Ella’s Kitchen® Brand: Ella’s Kitchen® Brand mission is to improve children’s lives through developing healthy relationships with food. Set up in 2006 by Ella’s Dad, Paul Lindley, the company prioritizes health and nutritional value, but never at the expense of taste or convenience. Ella’s Kitchen® Brand strives to be good in every sense, offering healthy, handy and fun food that doesn’t cost the earth. Visit www.ellaskitchen.co.uk or www.facebook.com/ellaskitchen for more information.

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.The Hain Celestial Group (Nasdaq: HAIN), headquartered in Lake Success, NY, is a leading organic and natural products company with operations in North America, Europe and India. Hain Celestial participates in many natural categories with well-known brands that include Celestial Seasonings®, Earth’s Best®, Ella’s Kitchen®, Terra®, Garden of Eatin’®, Sensible Portions®, Health Valley®, Arrowhead Mills®, MaraNatha®, SunSpire®, DeBoles®, Casbah®, Rudi’s Organic Bakery®, Gluten Free Café™, Hain Pure Foods®, Spectrum®, Spectrum Essentials®, Walnut Acres Organic®, Imagine®, Almond Dream®, Rice Dream®, Soy Dream®, WestSoy®, The Greek Gods®, BluePrint®, FreeBird®, Plainville Farms®, Empire®, Kosher Valley®, Yves Veggie Cuisine®,Europe’s Best®, Cully & Sully®, New Covent Garden Soup Co.®, Johnson’s Juice Co.®, Farmhouse Fare®, Hartley’s®, Sun-Pat®, Gale’s®, Robertson’s®, Frank Cooper’s®, Linda McCartney®, Lima®, Danival®, Joya®, Natumi®, GG UniqueFiber®, Tilda®, JASON®, Avalon Organics®, Alba Botanica®, Live Clean® and Queen Helene®. Hain Celestial has been providing A Healthier Way of Life™ since 1993. For more information, visitwww.hain.com