Not-for profit organisation Ceres awarded Smithfield 33 out of a possible 100 points in four categories – governance and management, direct operations, manufacturing supply chain, and agriculture supply chain – with the next meat industry competitor, JBS, gaining only 12 points. Hormel Foods Corp (3rd) scored 11, Perdue Farms Inc (4th) achieved nine points, Tyson Foods (5th) scored eight and Pilgrim's Pride (6th), scored three.
Commenting on the ranking, C Larry Pope, chief executive of Smithfield Foods, said: "We are proud of the continuous progress we’ve made in addressing the kinds of water management challenges facing agriculture and are honoured that its effort was recognised by a leading not-for-profit sustainability organisation."
The company said it was constantly looking for ways to reduce or reuse water, and has invested in programs and projects to manage its water usage and mitigate water pollution.
Targets have included reducing water use by 10% per 100 pounds of product, by the end of 2015 (a goal set in 2008). This was achieved ahead of schedule and with an 18% reduction, in 2014.
A water reuse system has been installed at is Tar Heel plant in North Carolina, which provides more than one million gallons of water per day.
Pope added: "Even with all these important initiatives, our work isn’t over. Water issues remain one of the most critical risks facing the food industry. The Ceres report notes that one-third of the world’s food production occurs in areas of high or extremely high water stress, or competition. As a leader in the global meat industry, Smithfield has an obligation to help find solutions to this pressing issue."