Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 3/31/16


Tyson Foods announced in the latest installment of its annual sustainability report that it is expanding the company’s ongoing water conservation efforts. 

“We’re setting a 12 percent water reduction goal by the end of 2020 for our direct operations and will talk with our supply chain, such as the independent farmers who grow animals for our company, about additional efforts they can make to conserve water,” said Christine Daugherty, vice president of sustainable food production.

This spring, the company will begin installing new measuring and continuous monitoring equipment at its U.S. plant locations that enable personnel to better manage water use in real-time. The goal is to reduce the amount of water used to produce each pound of food by 12 percent, using 2015 as the baseline year.

“We’ve been testing the continuous monitoring approach at one of our poultry plants in Tennessee since February 2014,” said Leigh Ann Johnston, director of sustainability. “We discovered when managers had real-time insight into how water was being used they were quickly able to improve conservation by taking corrective action.”

During the pilot, the facility had a 9 percent reduction in water used.

The majority of water the company uses in its direct operations is treated and returned to the environment. Tyson Foods already uses technology and reclamation systems to conserve water, and usage is disclosed in its annual Sustainability Report.

Beginning with its calendar year 2016, Tyson Foods also will disclose to the 2016 CDP Water Questionnaire (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project).

Earlier this month, Tyson Foods released sustainability report segments on animal well-being and corporate social responsibility.

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