Today we are excited to release a new video, “Producing Enough Sustainable Food,” that ponders the question and shows what we, and the pork industry, are doing to help feed the world’s growing population with food that is produced both responsibly and sustainably.

 “We’re very excited about this video because it provides an engaging way to show what Smithfield Foods, along with the rest of the pork industry, is doing to meet the challenge of providing not only sustainable food, but enough of it to feed a rapidly growing population,” said our CEO Larry Pope.

 The video is available on YouTube. 

At the outset, I need to point out that HSUS’ accusations about our company not living up to its social responsibility commitments are misleading and baseless. Specifically, HSUS referred to our commitment to phase out gestation stalls, how we treat our animals and our new video series, Taking the Mystery Out of Pork Production. Allow me to address each of these issues.

First, HSUS suggests that Smithfield has backed away from our stated goal of phasing out gestation stalls in favor of group housing at our company-owned sow farms by 2017, but nothing could be further from the truth.

While the dramatic economic downturn of three years ago temporarily slowed our efforts in phasing out gestation stalls, we steadfastly stood by our commitment to ultimately achieve this goal. Our commitment has never wavered, as evidenced by our progress in converting 30 percent of our sows to group housing by the end of 2011, and our commitment to spend more than $300 million to achieve our stated goal. I invite you to read about our progress at www.smithfieldcommitments.com.

Second, the well-being of all our animals is one of our highest priorities, which is why we consistently seek input from our customers, consumers like yourself, experts in animal husbandry, veterinarians and animal behavior specialists.  

We implement and monitor the practices at our farms through an industry-leading Animal Care Policy. This policy is more than just words—it articulates the principles and expectations to which we hold all employees accountable and guides the daily activities of all of our company-owned farms and those of our contract growers. In sum, we want our animals to be safe, comfortable, and healthy. Willful neglect or abuse of animals is not tolerated and will result in immediate termination. When mistakes are made or violations of our policies occur, we correct them.

Third, our website video series is not some slick production glossing over how pork is produced. The employees in the videos are real employees who were not scripted. They were told to express their own feelings about their jobs, and the work they do. And we could never have gotten renowned animal expert Dr. Temple Grandin to present the introduction to the videos if we had misrepresented the facts.

Beyond that, our concerted social responsibility efforts during the past decade have resulted in third-party recognition that we are very proud of. Most significantly, we were the first in our industry to achieve ISO 14001 environmental certification for all of our U.S. hog production and pork processing facilities. ISO 14001 is the international gold standard for environmental management. In addition, Smithfield Foods has been consistently named to FORTUNE magazine’s prestigious annual list of America’s Most Admired Companies. Companies are rated on eight criteria, from investment value to social responsibility.

At the same time, I need to underscore that we’re not saying that we’re perfect. We have made mistakes in the past, but we have learned from them and we have redoubled our efforts to behave in a socially responsible manner. This is a journey, but we believe we’re on the right track.

Because we are so passionate about doing the right thing, we welcome all who are interested in learning more about our company’s practices and commitments. We stand by the information we provide and our proven track record, which can all be found at www.smithfieldcommitments.com.

I hope this information addresses your concerns and that we take your opinions very seriously. Thank you for your interest in Smithfield Foods.  

Sincerely,

Dennis H. Treacy
Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs
and Chief Sustainability Officer 

Why the big change? The old pyramid turned out to be complicated and misleading. For instance, although all fats are considered bad, the pyramid seemed to condone use in moderation. Also, portion size—a concept meaning different things to different people—was not clearly outlined.

MyPlate is a simple, powerful visual cue to help people adopt healthy eating habits at meal times by displaying distinct proportions for each food group in relation to a standard plate.

For instance, MyPlate shows we should eat smaller portions, dedicate at least half our plate to fruits and vegetables, and avoid sugary drinks.

Tell us what your favorite MyPlate meal consists of on our Facebook page.

Pork can be safely consumed if cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F and allowed to rest for at least three minutes, even if the meat appears pink in color.

Cooking pork to the old 160°F temperature suggestion often results in tough, dry, overcooked pork, especially if you’re preparing a leaner cut. However, cooking to a lower temperature gives you juicier and more flavorful pork.

The USDA’s approval of a lower cooked pork temperature resulted from several years of research and dialogue with producers and food safety experts, finding that new production methods reduce the risk of harmful pathogens. Advances in food safety and handling also support a lower cooking temperature. Furthermore, breeding practices have made pork a leaner meat, rich in protein. In fact, pork tenderloin trimmed of excess fat is leaner than chicken.

Now is the perfect time to rediscover the flavor and flexibility of pork in your cooking. Check out Paula Dean’s Home Cooking show on the Food Network at http://www.foodnetwork.com/paulas-home-cooking/recipes/index.html for fresh ways to incorporate more pork in your diet.