WASHINGTON — During the 2025 Environmental, Labor and Safety+ Conference, held April 21-23 in Charlotte, NC, the Meat Institute recognized over 200 meat and poultry facilities for leading the industry in continuous improvement of environment, worker safety, and health and wellness.
“These companies are stand out examples of the work and the investments the meat and poultry industry makes in improving worker safety, the environment and the health of the people and communities where they operate,” said Julie Anna Potts, president and chief executive officer of the Meat Institute. “The awards recognize member achievements but also demonstrate to others in the industry and meat value chain the benefits of new technologies, procedures and innovations.”
Worker safety
The Meat Institute announced recipients of the Worker Safety Recognition Awards, which honor facilities that have achieved a high level of safety performance as part of the active effort to reduce occupational injury and illness. Recognized establishments performed high on the National Safety Council’s (NSC) evaluation and displayed implementation of key components of an effective safety and health program. The NSC staff examined the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Total Recordable Cases rate and the rate for Cases with Days Away From Work, Job Transfer, or Restriction (DART) data for each facility.
Awards were distributed in four tiers with the most prestigious being an Award of Honor, followed by an Award of Merit, an Award of Commendation and a Certificate of Recognition. The full list of recipients is available here.
Health and wellness
Additionally, Health and Wellness Awards were granted to companies that improved health and wellness in their local and corporate communities. Categorized into four categories, the following companies were honored:
- Corporate Wellness – SugarCreek Packing Co.
- Innovation – Marcus Technologies LLC
- Community Wellness – Omaha Steaks International LLC
- Nutrition Science – SugarCreek Packing Co.
Honorable Mentions were given to Fair Oaks Foods LLC (Community Wellness), SugarCreek Packing Co. (Community Wellness), SugarCreek Packing Co. (Innovation), Tyson Foods Inc. (Community Wellness), Bob Evans Farms Inc. (Community Wellness), FPL Food LLC (Community Wellness) and Triumph Foods LLC (Community Wellness).
Environment
Those granted an Environmental Recognition Award showcased development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
When selecting recipients for these awards, the Meat Institute used the MAPS four tier approach. Tier 1 starts with a basic environmental policy statement and environmental compliance criteria. Tier 2 incorporates a complete EMS model developed in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Tier 3 builds on the momentum of the previous tiers and progresses with the addition of “checks and balances” to the process. Tier 4 culminates with an ISO 14001 EMS — EPA’s highest level of environmental management. Each Meat Institute member was able to choose the tier or degrees of complexity that best fit their plant.
Award winners by tier can be found here.
The final slew of awards granted at the conference were the Environmental Achievement Awards. These were given to companies for innovative leadership and progress in emissions reduction, energy conservation packaging/food waste reduction, technological innovation and water conservation.
The following were first place winners in their respective categories:
- Water Conservation – JBS USA, Worthington, Minn.
- Packaging/Food Waste Reduction – Smithfield Foods, Carroll, Iowa
- Energy Conservation – JBS Foods Canada, Brooks, Alberta
- Technological Innovation – Fresh Mark, Inc., Massillon, Ohio
- Emissions Reduction – OSI Group LLC, Oakland, Iowa
To see a comprehensive list, including second and third place winners, visit the Meat Institute’s website.
