Washington, D.C., September 21, 2017—The Global Harvest Initiative (GHI) today welcomed its latest member company, Smithfield Foods, Inc., to its private sector collaboration advancing sustainable solutions to feed a growing world.
GHI’s member companies promote policies, investments and innovation that improve food security and deliver the food, feed, fuel, and fiber required by 2050 – while conserving natural resources and improving lives and livelihoods along the agricultural value chain.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, Smithfield is a world-class consumer packaged goods and protein company with a presence in four countries. In the U.S., the company employs more than 40,000 people and is the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including SmithfieldⓇ, EckrichⓇ, Nathan’s FamousⓇ, FarmlandⓇ, ArmourⓇ, John MorrellⓇ, Cook’sⓇ, KretschmarⓇ, GwaltneyⓇ, Curly’sⓇ, MargheritaⓇ, CarandoⓇ, and Healthy OnesⓇ. Across all its operations and brands, Smithfield has a robust, industry-leading sustainability program that focuses on the areas of animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality.
“Smithfield is a world leader in sustainable protein production,” said Dr. Margaret Zeigler, Executive Director of GHI. She added “We are especially pleased to highlight their industry leadership in our 2017 Global Agricultural Productivity Report® (GAP Report®), to be released in Des Moines, Iowa, at the start of the World Food Prize/Borlaug Dialogue.
Smithfield recently became the first major protein company to commit to reducing its absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout its entire supply chain 25 percent by the year 2025. Once achieved, this will be equivalent to removing 900,000 cars from the roadways.
“From reducing GHG emissions to being the first to commit to providing group housing for pregnant sows on company-owned farms, Smithfield has been pioneer when it comes to sustainable practices,” said Stewart Leeth, vice president of regulatory affairs and chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods, who will serve on the GHI Board of Directors.
“We’re privileged to join the Global Harvest Initiative and work with its members to advance food security and greater understanding of the transformative investments and innovations we bring to the lives of farmers and consumers,” added Leeth.
About Global Harvest Initiative
The Global Harvest Initiative (GHI) is a private-sector voice for productivity growth throughout the agricultural value chain to sustainably meet the demands of a growing world. Since its establishment in 2009, GHI has focused on the importance of agricultural productivity for global food security. GHI’s signature Global Agricultural Productivity Report® (GAP Report®) is an annual benchmark of the global rate of agricultural productivity. GHI’s growing membership includes DuPont Pioneer, Elanco Animal Health, Farmland Partners Inc., John Deere, Monsanto Company, The Mosaic Company and Smithfield Foods. GHI is also joined by 14 consultative partner organizations that share their knowledge and experience in global agriculture, conservation, nutrition and the needs of small-scale farmers, providing insight to GHI policy research.