Hormel Foods Recognized for Sustainability Work

Hormel Foods announced it has moved up two spots to No. 124 on the Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes (CII) Benchmark, which is part of the Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes (CII).

 According to the organization, the Maplecroft CII is the single most exhaustive study of the top 360 U.S.-based multinational companies and how they manage and adapt to climate change, with a special focus on innovation.

 Examples of the corporate responsibility initiatives at Hormel Foods that were evaluated as part of the Maplecroft CII Benchmark selection process include:

•  The organizational learning strategy at Hormel Foods, which encourages and facilitates the flow and exchange of ideas throughout the company; and
• A management strategy that prepares the company for risks and opportunities resulting from potential regulatory changes.

 The Maplecroft CII considers U.S. stocks with a free-float market capitalization of more than $1 billion (USD), and each company is rated against more than 100 performance-based criteria. These criteria include: technological innovation and new working practices to combat climate change impacts; management of climate-related issues; adaption to physical climate-related risks, such as flooding or more extreme weather events throughout the supply chain; and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Hormel Foods also jumped 11 spots to No. 19 and was the top Minnesota company named to the 13th annual Corporate Responsibility (CR) Magazine 100 Best Corporate Citizens List. This is the fourth consecutive year Hormel Foods was recognized, ranking No. 30 in 2011 and No. 40 in both 2009 and 2010.

“We are honored to receive this recognition as the result of our long-standing commitment to corporate responsibility,” said Julie H. Craven, vice president of corporate communications at Hormel Foods. “We regard our corporate responsibility initiatives as a collaborative effort, representing the company’s accomplishments in the areas of people, process, performance, products and philanthropy.”

According to Dirk Olin, editor-in-chief of CR Magazine, the list tracks 324 data points, most of which are about environmental, human, legal and financial transparency.

The list is compiled based entirely on publicly available information, including nonsecure websites, government and regulatory sources, investment publications and nongovernmental organization databases. The methodology for generating the list is governed by a Methodology Committee of the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association (CROA).

The company aims to publicly disclose information about its dedication to corporate responsibility each year through the Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report and several other initiatives. The 2011 report will be released in May.

Visit www.hormelfoods.com/csr to learn more about corporate responsibility and sustainability at Hormel Foods and to view the 2010 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report.