Five Smithfield facilities were recognized with NAMI's environmental achievement award.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Image via Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods, Inc.—a pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia—was recently honored with awards for its environmental and safety achievements in the North American Meat Institute's (NAMI’s) 2022 environmental awards and worker safety recognition programs.
Smithfield 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," explained Stewart Leeth, the Chief Sustainability Officer for Smithfield Foods. "We're honored to be recognized for our achievements in environmental sustainability and our work to create a diverse and inclusive culture that respects every employee."
Five Smithfield facilities were recognized with NAMI's environmental achievement award, which recognizes companies that go beyond environmental compliance by designing and implementing innovative facility upgrades or environmental programs.
- Smithfield's Sioux Falls, South Dakota, facility was recognized for reducing emissions;
- The Milan, Missouri, and Carroll, Iowa, facilities were recognized 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 programs.
A total of 48 of Smithfield's US facilities earned environmental recognition awards, which acknowledge a company’s commitment to continuous environmental improvement through the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
A total of 40 Smithfield facilities were recognized with Tier IV awards, the highest recognition in this category.
Additionally, 29 Smithfield locations earned NAMI's worker safety recognition awards, which recognize facilities that have achieved a high level of safety performance as part of a continuing effort to reduce occupational injury and illness. Twenty-two Smithfield facilities earned the top award of honor in this category.
Smithfield earned an honorable mention in the DEI category for its industry-leading programs to attract and retain minority and underrepresented employees and customers. The company was recognized for funding education programs that provide access to quality education and bridge divides into underrepresented communities; adding more historically Black colleges and universities to its higher education scholarship program; increasing production facility spending with minority-owned businesses; and developing its minority farmer program to increase the number of its hog suppliers from diverse backgrounds.
More information about Smithfield's sustainability strategies and DEI programs is available at www.smithfieldfoods.com/Sustainability.
About Smithfield Foods
Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods employs nearly 60,000 people in seven countries, partnering with thousands of American farmers. It is one of the world’s leading vertically-integrated protein companies. Following the mantra of “Good food. Responsibly”, Smithfield Foods has pioneered sustainability standards for over two decades, including a commitment to becoming carbon negative in its US company-owned operations and reducing GHG emissions by 30 percent across its entire US value chain by 2030.
Smithfield brands include: Smithfield, Eckrich, Gwaltney, and Nathan's Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.