Smithfield Foods Recognized for Environmental, Safety and DEI Programs
Smithfield Foods, Inc. was recently honored with awards for its environmental and safety achievements in the North American Meat Institute’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,” said Stewart Leeth, 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, while its 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 U.S. 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 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 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 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 in underrepresented communities; adding more historically Black colleges and universities to its higher education scholarship program; increasing production facility spend 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 https://www.smithfieldfoods.