Bell & Evans Begins Construction On an Organic Chicken Facility

Premium poultry producer Bell & Evans began construction on a new 411,500 square foot, Organic-Certified Chicken Harvesting Facility in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania. The first precast walls were placed in July, and the facility will be operational by late 2021. The project will cost the company approximately $330 million and double its current production capacity.

Bell & Evans produces 100% premium Raised Without Antibiotics chicken and Organic chicken, approximately 60% and 40% of its business, respectively. The additional capacity will allow Bell & Evans to continue expanding...

Tyson Foods to Verify Sustainable Cattle Production Practices at Scale

Tyson Foods announced its work to verify sustainable beef production practices on more than 5 million acres of cattle grazing land in the U.S. This would be the largest known beef transparency program in the U.S., and part of Tyson Foods’ focus on sustainably feeding the world while taking care of people, the planet and animals.

Working with Where Food Comes From, the largest provider of certification and verification services to the food industry, Tyson Foods will source cattle from BeefCARE™ verified beef producers who are committed to raising cattle using...

Kentucky Fried Chicken and 3D Bioprinting Solutions to Use a Bioprinter to Produce Nuggets 

Kentucky Fried Chicken is taking the next step in its innovative concept of creating a "restaurant of the future" by launching the development of innovative 3D bioprinting technology to create chicken meat in cooperation with the 3D Bioprinting Solutions research laboratory.

The idea of ​​crafting the “meat of the future” arose among partners in response to the growing popularity of a healthy lifestyle and nutrition, the annual increase in demand for alternatives to traditional meat and the need to develop more environmentally friendly methods of food production.

The project aims to create the world's first laboratory-produced chicken nuggets. They will be as close as possible in both taste and appearance to the original KFC product, while being more...

Animal Welfare Audits Across Tyson Foods’ Poultry Business are Now Certified

Tyson Foods announced it is the first company to receive audit certification for all poultry across its supply chain after its FarmCheck Animal Welfare Program completed the certification of company-wide poultry audits from the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO).

PAACO recently certified FarmCheck audits for both breeders and turkeys, bringing the company’s total certified poultry audits to three, following broiler chicken certification by PAACO in 2019.

The FarmCheck program is a third-party animal welfare auditing program that ensures livestock and poultry suppliers for Tyson Foods are evaluated and monitored for important animal welfare criteria including...

Maple Leaf Foods Releases 2019 Sustainability Report

Maple Leaf Foods, Inc., announced the release of its 2019 Sustainability Report, outlining the company's key programs and achievements during the past year, as well as future initiatives and priorities supporting Maple Leaf Foods' purposeful journey to be the most sustainable protein company on earth.

In 2019, Maple Leaf Foods continued its commitment to sustainability and made meaningful progress, including becoming the first major carbon neutral food company in the world and setting science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets. Maple Leaf Foods' commitment to the environment comes from a recognition that producing nutrient-dense protein takes...

Smithfield Foods Releases 2019 Sustainability Impact Report

Smithfield Foods, Inc. today released its 2019 Sustainability Impact Report, demonstrating significant progress in reaching major milestones and continuing efforts to feed the world’s population in a responsible way. Smithfield’s industry-leading sustainability program operates across five key pillars, representing areas of strategic focus that are important to its business, communities and society-at-large. These include the humane treatment of animals, stewardship of the environment, production of safe and high-quality food, contributions to strengthen its local communities and safety and well-being of its people.

“2020 has presented the world with an unprecedented crisis that is impacting the health, well-being and sustainability of people, communities and businesses everywhere. In turn, we have seen an increased reliance upon critical industries and companies to provide essential products and services at...

Pilgrim’s Publishes 2019 Sustainability Achievements and Advancement Toward 2020 Goals

Pilgrim’s Pride today announced the release of its 2019 Sustainability Report and progress toward 2020 sustainability goals. The report transparently details the company’s progress in the key priority areas of team member health and safety, product integrity, animal welfare, water and energy across its operations in the UK, Continental Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States.

“The Pilgrim’s global team is driven by our passion to sustainably produce food that positively impacts the lives of our team members, grower partners, customers, shareholders and society,” said Jayson Penn, President and CEO, Pilgrim’s. “We are focused on doing things the right way and creating...

JBS USA Shares 2019 Sustainability Achievements and Progress Toward 2020 Goals

JBS USA announced the release of its 2019 Sustainability Report and progress toward 2020 sustainability targets. The report transparently details the company’s sustainability actions across its global operations in North America, the UK, Continental Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

“Despite the uncertainties of today, our commitment to produce food sustainably at JBS USA and Pilgrim’s has not changed and is more important than ever,” said Kim Stackhouse, Ph.D., JBS USA Sustainability Director. “As a food company focused on improving lives through nutrition, we are humbled by our team’s accomplishments in 2019 to responsibly provide food for families around the world, while reducing...

Tyson Foods Publishes 2019 Sustainability Report 

Tyson Foods, Inc. published its 2019 Sustainability Report, “Grow – Deliver - Sustain”, outlining progress toward its sustainability goals and announcing key achievements in five focus areas: Food, Animal Welfare, Environment, Workplace, and Communities. The goal of Tyson Foods' sustainability initiative is to ensure the company produces safe, nutritious food for the global population and makes a positive impact on the world.

Tyson Foods’ commitments to help build a more safe, environmentally sound and sustainable food system represent a key element of the company's broader vision to raise the world's expectations for how much good food can do. Its strategy for sustainably feeding the world with the fastest-growing protein brands focuses on growing its business by delivering superior value to consumers and...

National Turkey Federation Testifies on Capitol Hill 

Today, Ron Kardel, Vice Chairman of the National Turkey Federation, testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Capitol Hill. Kardel updated the Committee on the state of the turkey industry, including topics such as exports, disease prevention and response, immigration, and research concerns. Kardel began with thanking the Committee for the opportunity, informing those at the hearing that there were more than 244 million turkeys raised in the United States last year. Kardel added that the USDA projects 5.8 billion pounds of turkey production to take place this year. The turkey industry generates 441,000 jobs, and in order to support these jobs, Kardel explained that policies coming out of Washington must maintain America's ability to thrive. Kardel spoke on behalf of the turkey industry when he expressed the anticipation of working with Congress and the Committee to address these issues.

Kardel mentioned the importance of exports to the turkey industry, stating that expanded trade would lead to significant growth and reducing uncertainty is imperative. Therefore, Kardel strongly urged Congress to pass the USMCA this fall, as this should not be a partisan issue. Kardel mentioned that the turkey industry has a fantastic relationship with...

North American Meat Institute Releases Revised Edition of Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide

The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today released its latest science-based animal care guidelines and audit for the meat industry. The guidelines and audit were authored by Colorado State University Professor of Animal Behavior Temple Grandin, Ph.D., working with the Meat Institute’s Animal Welfare Committee.

“The meat and poultry industry is always looking for ways to improve humane animal handling for both the welfare of the animal and the safety of our workforce,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “The new Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit are the product of member company participation with the guidance of the Meat Institute’s veterinarian Dr. Tiffany Lee and...