Economic Audit: Morrisons

Morrisons - Economic Audit

Supply Chain & Sourcing Relationships

Morrisons has a documented, long-running sourcing relationship (2013–2026) with the Israel Date Growers Cooperative Hadiklaim for own-brand Medjoul dates, and with Mehadrin and Galilee (Galilee Export) for avocados, citrus and mangoes ¹²³⁴⁵. Hadiklaim sources dates from the settlement of Beit Ha’Arava and has historically packed produce in Tomer, both in the occupied Jordan Valley, and Who Profits documents Hadiklaim receiving Israeli Ministry of Economy indemnification payments of NIS 2.45m–4.27m annually between 2019 and 2021 ⁶². Mehadrin operates settlement infrastructure including a grape packing house in Beka’ot, crop operations in Messua, packaging facilities in Tomer and Na’aran, storage at Netiv Hagdud, all in the occupied Jordan Valley, and a mango packing house/plantation via its 50%-owned subsidiary Miriam Shoham in the Ramot settlement in the occupied Golan Heights ⁷. No public evidence identified that Morrisons uses a dedicated wholly-owned import entity for Israeli-origin produce specifically; a confirmed joint venture, Morrisons/Global Pacific, exists but relates to a banana-ripening facility (an ex-Fresh Del Monte plant in Boston) with no sourced link to Israeli or settlement supply chains ⁸. Hadiklaim’s UK date season runs August–October, and Ramadan-timed date sales - a counter-seasonal high-demand window - have been the specific focus of repeated NGO and campaign investigations of Morrisons’ own-brand dates since 2013 ¹. 2020 field research documented Israeli produce, including Hadiklaim dates, Galilee avocados and mangoes, Miriam Shoham pomegranates and Barkan wine, on Morrisons shelves, with the Belgian importer Greenyard Fresh also identified as a general channel for Israeli produce reaching the UK market ⁹.

Product Origin, Labeling & Regulatory Compliance

In February 2013, Corporate Watch/Corporate Occupation obtained Morrisons own-brand Medjoul date packaging traced to the Tomer settlement and marked “Produce of Israel,” with Hadiklaim listed as exporter ¹⁹. Follow-up field research in 2020 reconfirmed that the same supplier relationships - Hadiklaim, Mehadrin/Galilee and Miriam Shoham - remained ongoing ³⁹. On 30 October 2024, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians issued legal notices to a group of national UK supermarkets including Morrisons, citing international humanitarian law, the 19 July 2024 ICJ advisory opinion, section 52 of the ICC Act 2001, and sections 328–329 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, over dates, mangoes, avocados, tahini, halva and bakery products sourced from Mehadrin, Miriam Shoham, Galilee, Hadiklaim and Achdut-Achva ⁴. No public evidence identified of a Morrisons response to this notice. Ethical Consumer’s label checks conducted December 2025–January 2026 currently identify Morrisons as sourcing Medjool dates labeled from Israel, alongside Tesco, M&S, Ocado and Eat Me, while Waitrose is reported to have stopped sourcing Israeli dates in 2024 and Sainsbury’s is reported to have lost ethical rating points over settlement produce, indicating the Morrisons sourcing relationship remains ongoing as of early 2026 ⁵. Morrisons’ repeated corporate statement between 2013 and 2020 maintained: “We do not source any products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the West Bank… We source produce from the state of Israel and take care to ensure the integrity of origin declarations. We perform random traceability checks…” ¹⁹. On the 2013 Tomer finding specifically, Morrisons stated the dates “were packed in Tomer until July of last year, while a more suitable site was found,” and later that dates have since been “packed, as well as grown and sourced, in the state of Israel” ¹⁹. Corporate Occupation’s published assessment directly disputes the plausibility of this explanation, noting that Hadiklaim operates multiple packing houses inside Israel proper, making transport of Israeli-grown dates into the occupied Jordan Valley for packing implausible ¹⁹. Palestine Solidarity Campaign corresponded with Morrisons over date origin concerns and called on customers to file complaints with UK Trading Standards ¹⁰¹¹¹². No public evidence identified of any DEFRA or UK Trading Standards enforcement action specifically against Morrisons for mislabeling, despite these repeated complaints since 2013.

Investment, Capital & Financial Exposure

No public evidence identified of Morrisons operating factories, data centers, logistics hubs, or real estate holdings in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories, nor of any Israel-based R&D or innovation centre. A claim circulating in AI-generated search summaries that Morrisons deployed Israeli firm Trigo’s computer-vision checkout technology under “Project Sarah” does not withstand primary-source verification: Morrisons’ 2021 checkout-free pilot under Project Sarah used US firm AiFi, not Trigo ¹³. Trigo’s $60m Series B funding round in December 2020 was backed by an investor named “Morrag Investments” alongside Tesco (not Morrisons), and Morrag Investments is confirmed via its corporate profile to be a distinct Israeli investment entity unrelated to Morrisons plc ¹⁴¹⁵. Morrisons is owned by a consortium led by US private-equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), which completed a £7.0–7.1bn take-private acquisition in October 2021, prevailing over a rival Fortress-led consortium that included CPP Investment Board, Koch Real Estate Investments, and Singapore’s GIC ¹⁶. No public evidence identified of CD&R holding separate direct investments, subsidiaries, or financial exposure to Israeli companies, Israeli sovereign bonds, or settlement-linked entities. No public evidence identified of Morrisons or CD&R underwriting Israeli sovereign debt, selling Israel Bonds, or engaging in trade finance to companies listed in the OHCHR settlements database.

Operational Presence & Market Activity

No public evidence identified of any Morrisons physical footprint - stores, offices, warehouses or logistics operations - in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories; Morrisons operates approximately 500 stores, all within the UK. No public evidence identified of Morrisons employment or tax activity in Israel, consistent with the absence of any identified Israeli operations. No public evidence identified of any market positioning statement regarding Israel in Morrisons’ annual reports or investor materials, and Morrisons’ disclosed revenue is UK-derived. Sector-wide UK imports of Israeli food fell to £101m in H1 2025, down 17% from £121m in H1 2024, a decline attributed to activist and boycott, divestment and sanctions pressure across the UK grocery sector generally rather than to Morrisons specifically ¹⁷.

Corporate Structure & Foundational Ties

Morrisons was founded in Bradford, UK, in 1899 and remains headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire; No public evidence identified of a founding, incorporation, or historical headquarters connection to Israel. No public evidence identified that Morrisons itself, its named controlling principals, or CD&R are directly named in the OHCHR settlements database or in the related Human Rights Council reporting; the database instead lists Morrisons’ suppliers Mehadrin and Hadiklaim, not Morrisons ¹⁸¹⁹. No public evidence identified of state or institutional linkages between Morrisons and Israel, nor of governance features such as golden shares or charter provisions tying the company to Israeli state policy. Sir Terry Leahy, former Tesco CEO, became Morrisons Chair following the CD&R acquisition ²⁰. A claim that Leahy has personal ties to the British-Israel Chamber of Commerce or UK Israel Business could not be corroborated by any primary source and is not treated as verified ²¹.

Profit Repatriation & Economic Contribution

Morrisons generates no disclosed revenue from Israel as a market; it functions as a UK-only retailer that imports Israeli-origin agricultural goods as a purchaser rather than as a market participant generating Israel-attributed revenue. The principal quantifiable financial flow identified is Morrisons’ status, among other UK retailers, as a purchaser within a UK date-import market in which aggregate UK date imports from Israel totalled £24.7m in 2024, representing 32% of UK date imports and described as the fastest-growing country of origin for that category ⁵. No public evidence identified of any Israeli government or industry designation of Morrisons as a significant actor in a specific sector of the Israeli economy.

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