Social license and water risk for food and beverage plants in Mexico
For bottlers, brewers, food companies and produce exporters in Mexico, Riskop measures whether neighbors blame the plant for water shortages, whether they know about its community programs and what impacts an expansion or a new facility will bring, using household surveys and interviews, and compares several plants with one method.
Reviewed by: Román González, Partner, Co-CEO and Director of Innovation. Updated .
Problems we address
Each problem lists the Riskop service or platform that handles it.
Neighbors start blaming the plant for water shortages
In a city with water cuts, the plant that bottles or irrigates becomes the most visible target. We measure how many neighbors hold it responsible, whether the issue is already linked to the brand in media and social networks, and which water actions change that view.
Expanding, converting or building a plant without losing the social license
Turning a distribution center into a plant, opening a cold-storage facility or adding a line changes truck traffic, water use and local jobs. A social impact assessment shows which impacts are coming and which measure fits each one before construction.
Community programs the neighbors have never heard of
A plant often invests in its community while very few neighbors know about it. The survey measures which programs people know and which ones they ask for, and the community engagement policy adjusts the plan to what the area needs.
Choosing where to invest in a region with security problems
For a new agricultural operation or plant, we compare candidate areas on security, social, political and environmental conditions before the decision. After the investment, TRIS tracks incidents in the area’s municipalities and highways.
Comparing risk across many plants on one scale
A network of plants in several cities or countries needs one scale to decide where to invest first. We use the same indicators at every site and, when the volume calls for it, move them into a platform built for the company.
Tracking bills, officials and news that affect the industry
The bills moving through state and federal legislatures and the news on the company’s issues change every week. GET, the platform Riskop built for a beverage company’s corporate affairs team, brings profiles of officials and legislators, news and bills into one place.
Showing with independent evidence what a plant contributes to its region
A socioeconomic impact assessment carried out with a public university in the region, using official employment and economic data and a regional survey, gives the company a figure that does not come from its own communications.
- Handled by
Double materiality reports that call for field evidence
For a sustainability report, impacts, risks and opportunities are reviewed through internal site visits and interviews with authorities and ejido representatives, not only in a workshop at headquarters.
- Handled by
Riskop’s experience in food and beverage
Since 2021 we have worked with bottlers, brewers, beverage companies and produce exporters in northern, central-western, western, central and Gulf Coast Mexico, and in several Latin American countries. It is the industry where Riskop has the most documented projects. Most of them combine household surveys, interviews with local authorities, ejidos, academics and civil society groups, and open-source research.
| Project | Region | Period |
|---|---|---|
| An assessment program using the same method at bottling plants in several cities, with a cross-plant summary | Northern Mexico | 2022–2024 |
| Socioeconomic impact assessments of breweries, carried out with public universities in each region | Northern Mexico | 2023–2024 |
| Operating environment assessments to choose an area for an agricultural investment and to convert a distribution center into a plant | Several regions | 2023–2026 |
| Social impact assessment for a produce exporter’s new cold-storage facility | Western Mexico | 2024 |
| Operating environment assessment for a food producer in a rural area | Bajío region | 2025 |
| Water risk and the social context of water compared across a network of beverage plants in several countries | Latin America | 2026, in progress |
| A custom platform to track a beverage company’s political and regulatory risk | Nationwide | 2026 |
Services for food and beverage
Frequently asked questions
Can Riskop assess several plants of the same company at once?
Yes. We use the same method at every plant, with shared indicators, so the company can compare its sites. Each plant also gets its own report and an action plan for its surroundings.
Can you measure water risk as well as perception?
Yes. Our water and climate risk work compares water stress across plants using climate projections and field validation, and cross-checks it with what neighbors say about water.
Do you work with produce exporters and agricultural operations?
Yes. We have compared candidate areas for new agricultural operations and assessed the impacts of a new cold-storage facility before construction, with surveys in rural towns and interviews with ejidos and municipal officials.
Tell us which plant, facility or region concerns you
You can also call us at +52 (81) 8363 0021.