The Global Investor Engagement on Meat Sourcing series was initiated in 2019 by the FAIRR Initiative, in collaboration with investor networks including Ceres. The series brings together institutional investors to engage large quick-service restaurant and food companies on how they identify, manage and disclose risks linked to meat and dairy sourcing.

The purpose of the series is to support investor stewardship by improving corporate understanding and management of material environmental risks associated with animal protein supply chains. These risks include climate change exposure, water scarcity and water quality impacts, as well as broader supply-chain resilience challenges. The series reflects growing investor concern that unmanaged agricultural sourcing risks may affect long-term business performance and value.

The methodology is based on structured, multi-phase investor engagement rather than company scoring or ranking. Participating investors set shared expectations and conduct dialogue with companies over successive phases, tracking responsiveness and areas of progress. Findings are published in phase reports and progress briefings that summarise common practices, gaps and emerging trends across the engaged companies, based on company disclosures and engagement outcomes.

For finance professionals, the series provides practical insight into how investors can use collaborative engagement to influence corporate behaviour on sustainability issues that are financially material. It can inform stewardship strategies, escalation decisions and engagement priorities by illustrating how companies are responding to investor expectations on climate and water risk management in food supply chains. The series also supports internal risk analysis by highlighting governance and disclosure practices relevant to meat and dairy sourcing without positioning itself as a comparative performance benchmark.