Hormel Foods Named one of America's Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek for the Second Year in a Row

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Dec 30, 2020, 08:00 ET

AUSTIN, Minn., Dec. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a global branded food company, was recently named of one America's Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek magazine for the second year in a row. Hormel Foods was ranked No. 161 out of the top 400 companies recognized for their corporate responsibility performance.

"We are honored to be named one of America's Most Responsible Companies for the second year in a row," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods. "As one of the top food companies in the world, we are focused on being a good neighbor in our communities, good steward of our environment and doing all we can to fight food insecurity. We truly understand our position in the world and the difference we can make in it."

Hormel Foods has continued to lead the food industry by putting team member safety first and supporting important causes throughout the pandemic. It has donated millions of meals to help others and supported numerous organizations with donations, including Feeding America, Conscious Alliance, Convoy of Hope and No Kid Hungry. To help restaurants and senior citizens in Austin, Minn., home to the company's world headquarters and flagship plant, the company has purchased approximately 50,000 meals and donated them to seniors in the community.

Hormel Foods also created a first-of-its kind college tuition program for the children of its team members. Inspired Pathways was created by the company to provide a two-year college degree to the children of its team members throughout the United States. "Our inspired team consists of some of the most incredibly hardworking and dedicated people you will ever encounter," Snee said. "We have people from all backgrounds and cultures, and it is this diversity that fuels us and makes us the global leader we are in our industry. In some cases, we have team members who never had the opportunity to attend college. This program allows them to give their children that opportunity, creating a new generation of college students. They do so much for us, it's truly a gift that we are excited to give to them."

Given its focus on environmental stewardship, Hormel Foods has committed to being powered by 50 percent renewable energy and has achieved its goals to reduce product packaging by 25 million pounds and to reduce nonrenewable energy use, water use and solid waste sent to landfills by 10 percent. The company will be announcing its new set of corporate responsibility goals in the near future.

America's Most Responsible Companies were selected based on publicly available key performance indicators derived from corporate responsibility reports as well as an independent survey. The key performance indicators focused on company performance in the environmental, social and corporate governance areas, while the independent survey asked U.S. citizens about their perception of company activities related to corporate responsibility. The final list recognizes the top 400 most responsible companies in the United States, spanning 14 industries.

To view the complete list of America's Most Responsibility Companies, visit https://www.newsweek.com/americas-most-responsible-companies-2021.

About Hormel Foods – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin's^®, Wholly^®, Hormel^® Black Label^®, Columbus^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for the 12th year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.