Hormel Foods Corporation.
HRL.US | Processing and preserving of meat
Hormel Foods Corporation is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products. The company operates through various segments, including Retail, Foodservice, and International. Its product portfolio includes a wide range of items such as meat products (e.g., bacon, ...Show More
Better Health for All
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Hormel Foods has faced issues with the transparency and nutritional claims of its products. The company settled a lawsuit in 2022 for misleading consumers by marketing its "Natural Choice Products" with unclear labeling, agreeing to clarify terms to better represent product contents
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. This indicates that health benefit claims were not fully substantiated and nutritional information was misleading. While Hormel has developed the HORMEL VITAL CUISINE™ product line to support cancer patients
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, this specific offering does not offset the broader issues identified. The company's operations do not involve healthcare-related patents, clinical trials, or products with addiction potential.
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
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No evidence available to assess Hormel Foods Corporation on Fair Money & Economic Opportunity.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
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Hormel Foods agreed to a $13.5 million settlement in September 2024 over allegations of wage suppression among plant workers, which involved sharing wage data.
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The company achieved a 100 score on the 2023–24 Corporate Equality Index for its commitment to LGBTQ+ workplace equality, including non-discrimination policies and equitable benefits.
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In 2011, its subsidiary Jennie-O Turkey Store received 11 OSHA citations following an arm amputation incident.
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Hormel Foods maintains a Code of Ethical Business Conduct and expects suppliers to meet legal standards for compensation and conditions, aiming to provide fair wages and comprehensive benefits.
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Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
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No specific, quantitative data was provided in the articles to assess Hormel Foods against the defined KPIs for Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing. While a Supplier Code of Conduct exists, outlining expectations for ethical labor practices and prohibiting forced or child labor, the articles do not provide percentages for fair-trade certified spend, audit frequencies, number of labor incidents, supply chain traceability, remediation speed, ethical clause coverage in contracts, high-risk material spend, or supplier diversity spend. General statements about sustainability goals and responsible sourcing are present but lack the concrete, measurable facts required for scoring.
Honest & Fair Business
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Hormel Foods has a comprehensive Code of Ethical Business Conduct for all employees, officers, and directors, which outlines policies on illegal payments, political contributions, conflicts of interest, and gifts
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. The company also mandates that all suppliers comply with its Supplier Code of Conduct, explicitly prohibiting bribery, kickbacks, money laundering, and gifts intended to influence business decisions
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. Supplier compliance is monitored through audits and assessments, with corrective actions for non-compliance
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. For reporting concerns, Hormel Foods provides a 24/7 third-party hotline and website for anonymous reporting, ensuring all reports are investigated promptly
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. In 2022, no human rights incidents were found to violate the company's ethical codes
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. The company's commitment to transparency and integrity was recognized in 2023 when it was named one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies by Newsweek for the second consecutive year
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, and it received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2023–24 Corporate Equality Index
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.
Kind to Animals
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Hormel Foods has 100% of its applicable company-owned properties, Applegate and Jennie-O subsidiaries, and all applicable facilities throughout its supply chain certified to animal welfare standards, including National Pork Board’s PQA Plus and TQA programs and NTF guidelines.
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The company switched to using 100% cage-free eggs throughout its supply chain in August 2016.
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Additionally, Jennie-O turkeys are housed in open barns, and the company-owned hog farm transitioned to group sow housing in 2018.
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Hormel Foods maintains an Animal Stewardship Policy
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and Applegate implements the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, with oversight from veterinarians and third-party experts.
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The company responsibly uses medically important antibiotics, never for growth promotion, and offers raised-without-antibiotics products, with Applegate's entire portfolio being RWA.
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Goals include a 10% year-over-year reduction in medically important antibiotic use at company-owned farms, aiming for elimination of routine use by 2025.
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Applegate sourced 32% of its total beef volume from regenerative agriculture certified farms in 2024
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and aims to source 100% certified regenerative beef for its hot dog portfolio by the end of 2025.
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A confidential hotline is available for reporting animal welfare incidents.
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No War, No Weapons
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No evidence available to assess Hormel Foods Corporation on No War, No Weapons.
Planet-Friendly Business
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Hormel Foods' near-term greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2023
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, committing to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50%
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and Scope 3 GHG emissions by 27.5% by 2030 from a 2019 base year, aligning with a 1.5°C pathway
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. In 2024, approximately 92% of the company's global purchased electricity was covered by renewable energy certificates
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. Normalized water usage in 2024 was 1,000 m³ per $1M of revenue
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, reflecting a 5.5% reduction from the previous year
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and saving over 73 million gallons of water
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. Approximately 36% of product packaging by weight in the U.S. supply chain was made from recycled materials in 2024
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. In 2024, approximately 2% of total water withdrawal was from areas with high or extremely high water risk
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.
Respect for Cultures & Communities
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No cultural appropriation incidents have been reported. Hormel Foods proactively engages with cultural understanding by employing cultural anthropologists to ensure products reflect equity and representation
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. The company also launched 'The Cooking & Culture Project' to preserve legacy food traditions
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and the HERDEZ® brand hosted 'House of Heritage' for Hispanic Heritage Month
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. No cultural site disruptions have been reported. The company does not explicitly detail a formal cultural impact assessment protocol.
Safe & Smart Tech
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Hormel Foods demonstrates a strong commitment to data privacy and security. The company complies with 17 US state privacy acts, including CCPA and CPRA, and provides supplemental privacy notices for residents in the EU, UK, Brazil, and other countries.
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In 2024, there were 0 noncompliance incidents concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data.
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Consumers are granted comprehensive rights, including the ability to know, access, delete, correct, opt-out of sale/sharing, and consent to or limit the use of sensitive personal information.
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The company endeavors to collect only information relevant for processing purposes.
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and retains personal data only as long as necessary.
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Cybersecurity and data privacy are integral to its Enterprise Risk Management processes.
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, with the Board's audit committee overseeing cybersecurity risk and receiving regular updates.
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An independent third party biennially assesses the cybersecurity program against the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
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Hormel Foods reports 83% of its product packaging, by weight, is recyclable, with over 30% made from recycled materials.
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The company implemented several waste reduction initiatives, leading to an 11% reduction in total solid waste generation and a 13% decrease in waste sent to landfills compared to the prior year.
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These initiatives include diverting food waste to animal feed, anaerobic digestion, composting, and synthetic nutrient substitutes.
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Additionally, product packaging was reduced by over 1.5 million pounds through optimized design and shipping efficiencies
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, with specific efforts like redesigned plastic bottles reducing plastic usage by 440,000 pounds annually and plastic in peanut butter jars by 30%.
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