AUSTIN, Minn. – Hormel Foods Corp. made significant progress toward the company's philanthropy and sustainability goals in 2013. Hormel released its eighth Corporate Responsibility Reportwhich highlights to company's performance toward its 2020 goals.


“We are proud of our results and are excited to share the progress we have made in key areas,” said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and CEO. “We are on track to meet or exceed all of our 2020 goals, and made significant strides throughout the past year. Our stakeholders can be assured that we will continue our corporate responsibility efforts in concert with our internal principles platform, Our Way, which helps to emphasize corporate responsibility in the fabric and strategy of our business.”

In 2013, Hormel donated $9.1 million in cash and product donations. Donations intended for hunger relief organizations throughout the United States and abroad totaled more than $6.5 million through Hormel's On Our Way to Ending Hunger program.

Participation in the annual Environmental Sutainability Best of the Best competition yielded annual savings of 154 million gallons of water; 180,000 MMBtu of natural gas; 1,000 tons of solid waste; and 7,900,000 kWh of electricity.

Hormel also implemented projects throughout 2013 that:

• Resulted in a reduction of 17,000 metric tons greenhouse gas emissions (22 percent of goal when combined with 2012 progress).
• Reduced energy use by 204,000 MMBtu (45 percent of goal when combined with 2012 progress).
• Reduced water use by 0.154 billion gallons (56 percent of goal when combined with 2012 progress).
• Reduced the amount of solid waste sent to landfills by 1,000 tons (81 percent of goal when combined with 2012 progress).
• Reduced product packaging by 4.72 million lbs. (35 percent of goal when combined with 2012 progress).
• Reduced sodium levels in select products within branded retail product portfolio.