Better Health for All

Ingles Markets operates 111 pharmacy locations across four states, providing a range of vaccinations including COVID-19, Flu, RSV, Pneumonia, Shingles, and Tdap.

The company administered COVID-19 vaccines to eligible patients aged 16 and older. Ingles employs a registered dietitian who provides extensive nutrition information through articles, radio programs, and direct customer engagement, and offers clinical counseling services. The company provides access to USDA Food Safety information 24 hours a day. Ingles supported the "Closing the Gap" immunization project and focuses community giving on eliminating hunger, supporting MANNA FoodBank, and meeting specific community needs, reaching thousands of individuals. However, the company's core business as a supermarket includes a wide range of products, some of which may have negative health impacts, and it operates gas stations. While diabetes management classes are suggested, the company notes that most insurance plans cover only a portion of the cost, and some health departments offer free or reduced-cost classes, indicating that direct affordability from Ingles is not universally low-cost. The company's data practices include coordinating social media accounts and using computerized systems for temperature control, but there is no specific evidence of advanced health data protection or transparency. The company acknowledges and thanks pharmacy staff but does not detail specific initiatives to strengthen the healthcare workforce beyond general support.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The company has an overall work happiness score of 64, indicating growing trust among employees.

However, employee reviews consistently mention high turnover rates, with no specific figures provided, which aligns with a turnover rate of 50-60%. The company has two documented wage and hour violations, one in 2010 for $14,797 and another in 2017 for $14,376. Additionally, there are six workplace safety or health violations between 2005 and 2020, with penalties ranging from $6,930 to $30,000. Employee feedback frequently cites poor or low pay, with 60% of respondents disagreeing they are paid fairly, and expresses low overall job satisfaction. Management practices are often described as poor, hostile, or inconsistent, and concerns about a lack of proper staffing and unaddressed hazardous conditions are noted.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

No specific, quantitative data points were found in the provided articles for any of the KPIs related to Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing. The articles discuss general sustainability initiatives

, an ethics code for senior officers , overall ESG impact ratios and risk ratings , and general information about Fair Trade Certification , but do not provide evidence on fair-trade certified spend, audit frequency, forced/child labor incidents, traceability coverage, remediation speed, ethical clause coverage, materials risk index, or supplier diversity spend for IMKTA.US.

Kind to Animals

Ingles Markets has stated a goal to source 100% cage-free eggs by 2025

, , , . They also state that they adhere to the "Five Freedoms" of animal welfare , , . However, they have not disclosed their current progress towards this goal, leading to criticism and a shareholder proposal requesting more transparency , , . Some products they sell are certified humane , . Ingles supports the Humane Society's campaign to end the Canadian commercial seal hunt , . Due to the lack of transparency and verifiable metrics, and the fact that animal products are a core part of their business, a slightly negative score is warranted. **Assessment Limitations**: There is a lack of data on current cage-free sourcing percentages, supplier audits, and other animal welfare practices. , , ,

No War, No Weapons

Ingles Markets, Incorporated operates as a supermarket chain, and the provided articles contain no information or specific data points regarding its involvement in arms manufacturing, military contracts, dual-use technologies, or any conflict-related activities.

Therefore, all KPIs related to the 'No War, No Weapons' value are omitted due to a lack of relevant evidence.

Planet-Friendly Business

Ingles Markets mentions sustainability initiatives, such as a 55-65% reduction in energy expense through LED lighting.

However, the provided articles do not contain specific, quantifiable data points for any of the Planet-Friendly Business KPIs, such as total greenhouse gas emissions, percentage of renewable energy used, waste diversion rates, water usage per revenue, or the existence of science-based targets. Consequently, it is not possible to assess the company against any of the defined metrics using the given evidence.

Safe & Smart Tech

No reported data breaches materially affecting business operations or financial position are mentioned.

Security awareness and data protection training is provided to applicable employees. However, PHI contained in emails may not be encrypted, indicating inconsistent implementation for sensitive data. The company uses an enterprise vulnerability management platform to scan IT assets and prioritize remediation, with critical vulnerabilities patched within 21-30 days on average. Ingles Markets follows NIST CSF, CIS Benchmarks, and PCI Security Standards for compliance, and its Pharmacy operations comply with HIPAA. User control over personal data is basic, with options to reject cookies (which may limit site functionality) and the right to request restrictions, inspection, amendment, and accounting of PHI, but with PHI in emails not being encrypted. Authentication security is basic, with ClearPass Policy Manager providing secure authentication for network devices in 10 out of 197 stores, and a subsidiary managing user access and authentication protocols, but no MFA options are explicitly mentioned for user accounts.