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Hormel Foods sources hogs from more than 500 independent family farmers across the Midwest and from a company-owned farm in Colorado. Many of the family farms we source hogs from have been suppliers for multiple generations.

All of our designated market hogs are housed in a group pen setting from birth. Additionally, our company-owned hog farm has transitioned to group sow housing.

To uphold our animal welfare requirements, the majority of our hogs are purchased through contractual agreements. Per the contract, each hog producer must agree to comply with local, state and federal laws and qualifications detailed in the Hormel Foods quality assurance program, which includes animal welfare requirements. We also require all employees who work with hogs at our company-owned farm to adhere to these requirements.

Our animal welfare quality assurance requirements include:

  • All individuals who transport hogs to Hormel Foods must have the National Pork Board’s Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) certification. The training materials for this program cover the responsible way to treat and handle animals during loading, transportation and delivery. Handlers are taught to recognize the amount of space needed around each hog and points of balance to aid in hog movement. Achieving TQA certification requires attendance at an educational and training session, and a score of 90 percent or above on a written exam.
  • All sites where a producer raises hogs supplied to Hormel Foods must achieve Site Status as defined by the National Pork Board’s PQA Plus program. This is attained through an on-farm assessment that evaluates welfare and well-being principles.
  • All employees at our company-owned hog farm are required to comply with qualifications outlined in our quality management system, which includes standard operating procedures, a personal pledge of proper conduct and certifications in the National Pork Board’s PQA Plus and TQA programs. An employee cannot be promoted until he or she has undergone appropriate training for the new position and his or her manager has approved the employee’s ability to work with animals in this new capacity.
  • All producers who supply hogs to Hormel Foods, and the employees of those producers, must be certified in the National Pork Board’s PQA Plus program. To achieve certification, producers must attend an educational and training session taught by a PQA Plus advisor – a veterinarian, extension personnel or an adult agricultural educator. The class content focuses on food safety, animal well-being, herd health and medication decision making, administration and records management.
  • All producers who supply hogs to Hormel Foods must also adhere to the Hormel Foods Farm Animal Care and Treatment Specifications (FACTS) program. In addition to documentation and animal/facility observations, key components of the program include third-party audits and corrective actions for noncompliance.

Routine audits are conducted at our facilities and we hire third-party auditors to gather information to continuously improve our animal welfare procedures. Employees have a confidential hotline so they can anonymously report any animal welfare procedure that does not meet our standards. A corporate Animal Welfare Steering Committee as well as an Animal Welfare Committee at each hog harvesting facility is responsible to ensure the accountability of our standards.

To read about our audits that ensure we are engaging in safe and ethical animal welfare practices, visit our global impact report.

California Proposition 12

Update May 11, 2023

Hormel Foods has produced Prop 12 compliant products since January 2022 and the company and its Applegate® brand have had Prop 12 compliant products available in the state since that time. We are currently serving customers a full range of Prop 12 compliant products throughout the state.

California Proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3 Space Requirements for Animal Housing

Hormel Foods has assessed Proposition 12 and Question 3, and while we are still awaiting final clarity on specific details and rules, the company is preparing to fully comply when these laws go into effect. The company’s Applegate portfolio of products already complies with Proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3.

Hormel Foods has confirmed that it faces no risk of material losses from compliance with Proposition 12 and Question 3. While these measures will add complexity to our supply chain, including costs associated with compliance, California and Massachusetts are important markets for Hormel Foods and we will continue to meet the needs of our consumers and customers throughout these states.

As a global branded food company, we have a broad range of products that we currently sell in California and Massachusetts – from SKIPPY® peanut butter to Wholly® guacamole. Proposition 12 and Question 3 impact the company’s fresh pork business. Hormel Foods is currently working with its supply chain to implement internal processes for segregation and SKU expansion. We are currently working through supply and logistics planning surrounding affected products, but expect a full range of compliant products to be available in both retail and foodservice. We will continue to work closely with our customers to ensure that our consumers in these states will still be able to purchase the Hormel Foods products they depend upon.

Update Jan. 1, 2022

Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, Hormel Foods products required to be Proposition 12 compliant to be sold in the state of California are compliant. A compliance letter is available to retailers and consumers, upon request, that state the company’s compliance. Additionally, commencing on Jan. 1, 2022, Hormel Foods has chosen to voluntarily comply with the California Department of Food & Agriculture draft regulation and all bills of lading, weight manifests and invoices for shipments for sales into California will bear the statement “Pork CA Prop 12 Compliant.” Other products that do not bear that statement and are shipped into California for transshipment or export or to another federally inspected establishment in the state of California will bear the statement “Not Prop 12 Compliant” or “Only for use at Mxxx” (where the x’s represent the establishment number for the destination facility).