WASHINGTON – The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and the Protein PACT released their first report on the meat industry’s 2030 targets for the environment and other key gauges.

The report is being released ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP27, which will be in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, starting on Nov. 6.

NAMI said it showed 81% of facilities reporting data by member commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The trade association said all its members with more than 2,000 employees submitted data and this report covers about 90% of the meat sold in the United States.

“98% of American households purchase meat, putting our sector undoubtedly at the center of solutions for healthy diets, healthy communities, and a healthy planet for generations to come,” said Julie Anna Potts, president and chief executive officer of NAMI. “The Meat Institute’s first-ever continuous improvement report is a game changer for transparency in the sector — setting transparent baselines that will allow us to measure progress and verify our sector’s contributions to global goals.”

The Meat Institute added that the report sets the first-ever baselines for measuring progress toward targets for environmental sustainability, animal care, food safety, worker safety, and food security.

Other findings in the report included 96% of reporting facilities conducting meat processing require their suppliers to maintain a written animal welfare program based on NAMI Animal Handling Guidelines.

The association also said that 98% of facilities have a multidisciplinary team that periodically reviews food safety programs and takes improvement action.

Under packaging, NAMI members reported that member companies’ commitment to minimizing packaging waste covers 82% of facilities and 71% are committed to reducing food waste.

The Meat Institute also is committed to measuring and filling the “protein gap” for needy families by 2025. The association said 78% of reporting companies donate money or products to food banks and charities. This number includes more than $9 million in 2022 to combat hunger by expanding capacity at food banks.

The full report from the Meat Institute is available here.