Sysco 2011 Annual Report Download - page 63

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Sysco Corporation
We have audited Sysco Corporation (a Delaware Corporation) and its subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting as of July 2, 2011,
based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
Commission (the COSO criteria). Sysco Corporation’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting,
and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Report of Management on
Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the company’s internal control over financial reporting
based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial
reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting,
assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the
assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in
reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance
that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and
directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or
disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any
evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that
the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, Sysco Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of July 2, 2011,
based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated
balance sheets of the Company as of July 2, 2011 and July 3, 2010 and the related consolidated results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash
flows for each of the three years in the period ended July 2, 2011 of Sysco Corporation and subsidiaries and our report dated August 30, 2011
expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Houston, Texas
August 30, 2011
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