April 21, 2023

Smithfield Foods recognised for environmental, safety and DEI programmes

Smithfield Foods, Inc. was recently honored with awards for its environmental and safety achievements in the North American Meat Institute's (NAMI) 2022 environmental awards and worker safety recognition programmes.

The company also earned an honorable mention in NAMI's 2022 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) awards for promoting and implementing a comprehensive DEI strategy to ensure a more inclusive workforce.

"Protecting the environment, including decreasing our carbon footprint, implementing water conservation strategies and reducing packaging, have been Smithfield priorities for decades, and are part of our commitment to producing good food the right way," said Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability officer at Smithfield Foods. "We're honored to be recognised for our achievements in environmental sustainability and our work to create a diverse and inclusive culture that respects every employee."

Five US-based Smithfield facilities were recognised with NAMI's environmental achievement award, which recognises companies that go beyond environmental compliance by designing and implementing innovative facility upgrades or environmental programmes.

Smithfield's facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was recognised for reducing emissions, while its Milan, Missouri, and Carroll, Iowa, facilities were recognised for water conservation efforts. The company's facilities in Des Moines, Iowa and Kinston, North Carolina, earned awards for packaging and/or food waste reduction programmes. 

A total of 48 of Smithfield's US facilities earned environmental recognition awards, which acknowledge commitment to continuous environmental improvement through the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS). Forty of Smithfield's facilities were recognised with Tier IV awards, the highest recognition in this category.

Additionally, 29 Smithfield locations earned NAMI's worker safety recognition awards, which recognise facilities that have achieved a high level of safety performance as part of a continuing effort to reduce occupational injury and illness. Twenty-two of Smithfield's facilities earned the top award of honor in this category.

Smithfield earned an honorable mention in the DEI category for its industry-leading programmes to attract and retain minority and underrepresented employees and customers. The company was recognised for funding education programmes that provide access to quality education and bridge divides in underrepresented communities, adding more historically Black colleges and universities in the United States to its higher education scholarship programme, increasing production facility spend with minority-owned businesses and developing its minority farmer programme to increase the number of its hog suppliers from diverse backgrounds.

- Smithfield