The donation, made via The Smithfield Foundation, will help to fund the various research projects.
The research advisory committee of the foundation has identified several key priorities for 2019. These include projects that address food safety, product quality, animal welfare and worker safety, among others.
“We are so pleased that Smithfield Foods has, once again, decided to generously support our core research values to enable the meat and poultry industry to produce the highest-quality and safest products possible,” said Susan Backus, president, Foundation for Meat & Poultry Research & Education.
“With cooperative support from our industry partners like Smithfield, we will continue to conduct valuable research to improve our nation’s meat and poultry supply.”
Keira Lombardo, executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance for Smithfield Foods and president of the Smithfield Foundation, said the two organisations shared a “common goal” in providing safe and high-quality products for customers.
“We are happy to collaborate with the Foundation and help further their important research initiatives, enabling us to fulfil our mission to produce ‘Good food.Responsibly’,” she said.
Smithfield Foods is a US$15 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. In the US, the company is also a leader in numerous packaged meat categories, with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan’s Famous and Farmland.
