Hormel Foods Recognized on Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for Second Straight Year

This highly regarded list places the company among the world’s top 10 percent of most sustainable companies based on economic, environmental and social criteria.

“Being listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index again this year is gratifying and reflects our ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility in the areas of people, products, process, performance and philanthropy,” said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods. “We are honored to continue being recognized for these accomplishments.”

Examples of corporate responsibility areas evaluated for the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index include:
– Establishing corporate responsibility principles for suppliers that outline specific expectations regarding environmental, social and economic processes;

– Using a web-based environmental management system for continuous measurement of sustainability efforts throughout the company;

– Continuing packaging minimization initiatives, which included 52 projects in 2010 that reduced packaging in Hormel Foods products by 5.6 million pounds; and

– Maintaining employee-safety rates, such as Days Away from Work Injury and Illness, that continue to outperform the industry.

Companies on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index are selected through an in-depth analysis based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria for general and industry-specific sustainability trends. Listed companies are considered to demonstrate continuous improvement each year with regard to sustainability and are assessed by analysts from the Sustainable Asset Management Group.

The 2010 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report offers an in-depth look at many of these efforts, which contributed to the company’s recognition on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. The report is available at www.hormelfoods.com/csr.