SMITHFIELD, VA. – As part of its sustainability goals, Smithfield Foods Inc. announced on Jan. 5, plans to slash its food loss and waste 50% across its US-based company operations by 2030. With this commitment, Smithfield joined the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of companies representing all segments of the food supply chain that the agencies categorized as US Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions.

For Smithfield, meeting the goal is part of existing programs designed to both reduce operational waste sent to landfills by 75% and attain zero-waste-to-landfill certification across 75% of its US-based facilities by 2025.   

“For years, Smithfield has spearheaded impactful programs to proactively minimize waste and reduce carbon emissions,” said Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability officer. “Simultaneously, we've taken meaningful action to fight food insecurity in our communities. Our new food loss and waste goal furthers both of these objectives and underscores our longstanding commitment to produce wholesome, safe and affordable food in a responsible way.”

Smithfield joins a growing list of food and beverage-related companies committed to the USDA/EPA program including: Walmart, Kroger, Campbell Soup Co., Aramark, Amazon, Wegmans Food Markets, PepsiCo and others.

Smithfield also announced it is part of a consortium of more than 10 of the largest food retailers engaging 20 of their suppliers to cut their food waste in half by 2030, a program known as the 10x20x30 initiative. The company’s entire sustainability plan and goals are available at: www.smithfieldfoodscom/sustainability.