2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report and completion of first set of five-year environmental goals announced.

AUSTIN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 16, 2012-- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) today announced the release of its 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report, available online at www.hormelfoods.com/csr. This is the company’s fifth full report and the completion of the first set of five-year environmental goals. The report is self-declared Application Level B as confirmed by the Global Reporting Initiative.

The annual report focuses on the company’s commitment to being a responsible food manufacturer. Highlighted performance and initiatives throughout 2011 include Hormel Foods:

• Being listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the second consecutive year, placing the company among the world’s top 10 percent of sustainable companies.
• Achieving outstanding results from the annual Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best competition among all Hormel Foods locations. In 2011, the competition generated entries throughout all business segments that resulted in the reduction of 695.2 tons of solid waste to landfill, an increase in recycling tonnage by 27 percent and more than 40.4 million gallons of water saved collectively.
• Enhancing the On Our Way to Ending Hunger program, with contributions of more than $5 million in cash and product to aid hunger-relief efforts in the United States and abroad.
• Distributing its Supplier Responsibility Principles, which were designed to ensure the quality of products and services received from suppliers follows the commitment of Hormel Foods to responsible environmental and social performance.
• Expanding the number of facilities that have been certified under the Global Food Safety Initiative-recognized food safety management standards.
• Improving performance on a number of key metrics, including:
  • Beating the packaging minimization goal, reducing packaging by 4.2 million pounds;
  • Beating the water reduction goal, reducing water consumption by 15 percent;
  • Continuing to outperform the industry average for safety rates; and
  • Implementing several significant capital projects designed to reduce energy use, expecting to see results in the 2012 fiscal year, as part of the new energy conservation goal.

"I am proud of our team for achieving outstanding results in fiscal 2011," said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods. "We will continue to responsibly conduct business following Our Way - the Hormel Foods values statement that defines how we operate every day in our approach to people, process, products, performance and philanthropy."

The 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report is the company’s fourth consecutive report that can be found entirely online. Also available is an executive summary that provides a condensed version of the full report along with key highlights. The online report can be accessed and the summary can be downloaded at www.hormelfoods.com/csr.

In alignment with the company’s commitment to philanthropy and in honor of the launch of the report, Hormel Foods will feature an online contest. For every retweet on Twitter announcing the release of the 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report, the company will donate $6 to Feeding America (up to $5,000). Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

Hormel Foods plans to continue reporting on its environmental and social performance annually; the next report will be released in May 2013 for data spanning November 2011 to October 2012.

About Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, many of which are among the best known and trusted in the food industry. The company leverages its extensive expertise, innovation and high competencies in pork and turkey processing and marketing to bring branded, value-added products to the global marketplace. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes, and was named one of "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the fourth year in a row in 2012. The company enjoys a strong reputation among consumers, retail grocers, foodservice and industrial customers for products highly regarded for quality, taste, nutrition, convenience and value. For more information, visit http://www.hormelfoods.com.

Source: Hormel Foods Corporation

Hormel Foods Corporation
Julie H. Craven, 507-437-5345
media@hormel.com