Ten years of FNET: reflections on a decade of ethical trade
14 May
In May 2026, Inherently Human’s Laura Falk and Louise Herring joined the Food Network for Ethical Trade to mark its tenth anniversary – a milestone worth celebrating for anyone working in human rights and ethical trade in food and agriculture.
Louise attended in her capacity as Executive Director of AIM-Progress, and as the founder of FNET in 2016, joining FNET’s Louise Nicholls and Dole UK’s Fiona McKerrow for a fireside chat on how the human rights due diligence landscape has shifted over the past decade.
She also joined Danny Miles (ETI), Mira Alestig (Oxfam) and Sarah Wadelin (MWW) to preview a significant piece of work: the new Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement guidance, which launched on 20th May. Developed and co-financed by seven organisations – AIM-Progress, Oxfam, ETI, amfori, Etisk Handel Sverige, the Fair Labor Association and FNET – it reflects the sustained, cross-sector collaboration that the field increasingly depends on.
Laura was there representing Inherently Human’s partnership with FNET as facilitators of the Responsible Procurement working group – a collaboration focused on embedding human rights considerations more firmly into business decisions across the food and agriculture sector.
As Louise Nicholls reflected in FNET’s anniversary report, the road ahead – shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, climate pressure and growing regulatory expectations – calls for collective, worker-centred approaches and broader engagement in human rights.
FNET’s ten-year anniversary report is available to read here.
