Independent Limited Verification Report of the Annual Integrated Report of Grupo Herdez, S.A.B. de C.V. for 2016
To the Board of Directors of Grupo Herdez:
Scope of Work
We performed an independent limited review of the information included and figures shown in the Annual Integrated Report of Grupo Herdez for 2016.
The scope of the information reviewed includes:
- Plants: Planta de Alimentos Deshidratados del Bajío, Planta Barilla, Planta Chiapas, Planta El Duque, Planta Herdez Celaya, Planta Industrias, Planta Lagos de Moreno, Planta México, Planta Nutrisa, Planta Revolución, Planta Santa Rosa, Planta Santa Rosa Vegetales.
- Nutrisa stores
- Eight tuna fishing vessels
- Distribution Centers: Chalco, Cuautitlán, Culiacán, Chiapas, Guadalajara, Mérida, Lagos de Moreno, Los Mochis, Monterrey, San Luis Potosí and Tijuana.
- Offices: Corporativo Cinco, San Bartolo, La Marquesa and Nutrisa.
The preparation of this report is the responsibility of Grupo Herdez Management. Grupo Herdez Management is also responsible for the information and the assertions contained therein, defining the scope of the Report and the management and control of the information systems that provided the information reported.
Our work was conducted in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 issued by The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). This standard requires that we plan and perform our engagement to obtain limited assurance about whether the report is free of errors or material misstatement and that we comply with ethical requirements, including independence requirements included in the Code of Ethics of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA).
Our Responsibility
Our responsibility is to issue an independent limited verification report based on the procedures applied in our review.
Standards and Verification Procedures
We performed our review work based on the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative in accordance with the core option.
The reviews that we performed over 2016 and also take into consideration the congruence with the information in the report for 2015.
Based on this review framework, we visited the corporate offices and the Barilla plant in San Luis Potosí.
The verification procedures we performed focused on the following:
- Interviews with the individuals responsible for the information in order to understand the activities performed and the procedures used to gather the information.
- Review of the structure and content of the Report based on the GRI Standards of the GRI.
- Understanding of the procedures used in compiling and consolidating quantitative and qualitative data, as well as their traceability.
- Review of the support documentation through analysis and recalculations, as well as sampling, to have more certainty of the indicators reported.
The general basic content and specific basic content verified are as follows:
| 102-8 | 102-41 | 303-3 | 406-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102-9 | 204-1 | 305-1 | 416-1 |
| 102-17 | 205-1 | 305-2 | 416-2 |
| 102-18 | 205-2 | 305-5 | 417-1 |
| 102-20 | 205-3 | 305-7 | 417-2 |
| 102-22 | 206-1 | 306-1 | 417-3 |
| 102-24 | 301-1 | 306-2 | 419-1 |
| 102-25 | 302-1 | 401-1 | |
| 102-35 | 302-4 | 403-2 | |
| 102-36 | 303-1 | 404-2 |
It is worth mentioning that the scope of this review is substantially less than a reasonable assurance engagement. Therefore, the assurance provided is also less. This Report shall in no way be considered to be an audit report.
Conclusions
Subject to the scope limitations mentioned above and based on our work described in this independent limited verification report of the Annual Integrated Report of Grupo Herdez for 2016 and with the indicated scope, we conclude that:
- There is no evidence that would lead us to believe that the Report has not been prepared based on the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards of the GRI.
- There is no evidence that would lead us to believe that the rest of the information and indicators included in the attached report contain any significant errors.
Areas of opportunity
In addition, we have detected areas of opportunity in the preparation process of the Sustainability Report of Grupo Herdez, which are detailed in the management letter submitted to Grupo Herdez Management. They do not modify the conclusions expressed in this Report. The most significant recommendations are as follows:
- Strengthen interaction among in the individuals responsible for the information and the team in charge of preparation of the report in order to increase the quality and standardize the information reported.
- Consider transitioning the Sustainability Report from the Core option to the Comprehensive option.
- Consider increasing the verification level from a limited level to a reasonable level in accordance with Standard ISAE3000.
This report has been exclusively prepared for the Board of Directors of Grupo Herdez, S.A.B. de C.V., in accordance with the terms of our engagement agreement.
Mancera, S.C.
A Member Practice of
Ernst & Young Global Limited
Saúl García Arreguín
Partner
Mexico City, April 03, 2017