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Our Principles Platform

To deepen our commitment to corporate responsibility, we developed our Principles Platform, which establishes how we specifically commit to doing business responsibly in five key areas: people, process, products, performance and philanthropy.

To ensure an engaging and mutually beneficial environment for the people who make our business possible, we commit to the following:

Safety

  • Provide a safe working environment through education, strict audits and the development and use of innovative equipment

Diversity

  • Increase diversity among employees and suppliers

Training and Benefits

  • Invest in training and professional development programs for employees

Wellness

  • Increase employee participation in company wellness initiatives

Code of Ethics

  • Provide equal opportunity and zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination or other practices that contradict our code of ethical business conduct

Process

To promote environmental sustainability in our day-to-day operations – in our corporate offices, plants and company-owned farms – we focus on the following:

Energy

  • Reduce energy usage through conservation and use of new technology to improve efficiency

Solid Waste

  • Reduce the amount of solid waste we produce

Water

  • Protect water systems that are connected to our operations
  • Reduce water use through improved processes and conservation initiatives

Air

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the production and delivery of products

Animal Welfare and Management

  • Ensure all animals in our operations are treated humanely
  • Support programs to increase awareness about responsible animal welfare throughout the industry and in the entire production chain

Products

To deliver wholesome, nutritious and great-tasting products to our consumers, we concentrate our efforts on the following:

Food Safety

  • Produce safe products through research, sharing of best practices and going beyond national and international standards

Food Quality

  • Emphasize continuous improvement and exceed industry standards to create the highest quality products

Health & Wellness

  • Offer product options that include high protein and nutritious choices for consumers

Performance

To maintain the highest integrity and success of our business, we are committed to:

Corporate Governance

  • Promote best governance practices, committing ourselves to the highest standard of transparency and accountability

Financial Sustainability

  • Increase shareholder value by delivering profitability through sound economic decisions

Phianthropy

To serve our communities, we align our core competencies to the needs of the community by focusing on:

Community Investment

  • Focus giving on education and health and wellness in local communities
  • Support The Hormel Institute’s food-based research on health-related issues

Hunger

  • Contribute needed protein and shelf-stable products to food banks
  • Provide thought leadership and financial support in an effort to eradicate hunger locally and globally