Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 7/23/10

Smithfield Foods on Thursday released its ninth annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, setting new goals for waste reduction, worker safety, food donations, food safety and hog facility certifications.

The 100-page report focuses primarily on calendar year 2009, but includes fiscal 2010 financial information and key developments that occurred in early 2010. Smithfield's fiscal year runs from May through April.
The following specific goals were included in the report:

• Reduce natural resource use (energy and water) and solid waste by 10 percent over fiscal 2008 numbers (normalized) by fiscal 2016
• Maintain 100 percent Pork Quality Assurance Plus Certification for hog production facilities
• Provide the needy with 1 million servings of food per year and continue to enhance education in local communities
• Meet or beat the general manufacturing industry national average for injuries
• Obtain 100 percent Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification for all facilities

Smithfield also announced two new sustainability committees--the sustainability, community, and public affairs committee composed of board members, and a corporate sustainability committee made up of top executives from across the company.

The report can be viewed here.  www.smithfieldfoods.com/responsibility/reports.aspx

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