On a biennial basis, we use a third party to help research, analyze and assess the key topics affecting the food industry.
We simultaneously engage with stakeholders inside and outside of the organization to help determine the overall significance and priority of each topic within our report. Our stakeholders include our employees, customers, consumers, investors, suppliers, nongovernmental organizations, government agencies and communities. This assessment is reviewed and approved by the Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Council and the executive-level Corporate Responsibility Steering Committee. For this report, we analyzed the topics according to the aspects of the Global Reporting Initiative’s G4 Framework.
The following table summarizes the topics of interest for our stakeholders regarding our corporate responsibility reporting, based on our feedback and analysis process.
| Topic | Description | More Information |
| Animal welfare (i.e., standards, audits, sow housing and antibiotics) | How we ensure the proper treatment of animals at company-owned farms and by our suppliers | Animal Welfare |
| Bribery and anticorruption | How we ensure an ethically sound culture | About Hormel Foods |
| Conflict minerals | Compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission rule on conflict minerals | Products |
| Diversity and inclusion | Our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment | People |
| Employee satisfaction and trends (i.e., employee demographics, turnover rate, training, compensation and benefits) | How we attract and retain our employees | People |
| Food safety | How we ensure food safety and quality | Products |
| Food waste | How we minimize food waste | Environment and Products |
| Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) | About the use of genetically modified food ingredients | Products |
| Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions | How we reduce GHG emissions | Environment |
| Hazardous waste | About our waste handling practices | Environment |
| Hunger relief | How we help with hunger relief | Communities |
| Lobbying disclosure and political contributions | About our legislative affairs | About Hormel Foods |
| Nutrition and wellness | About our nutrition and wellness initiatives | Products |
| Occupational health and safety | How we ensure a safe work environment | People |
| Palm oil sourcing | Our palm oil sourcing commitments | About Hormel Foods |
| Philanthropy (i.e., volunteerism and donations) | How we give back to communities | Communities |
| Product labeling and communications | How we ensure the accuracy of information about our products | Products |
| Solid waste | How we reduce our solid waste sent to landfills | Environment |
| Supply chain management (i.e., principles, assessments and supplier diversity) | About our supply chain and our expectations of suppliers | About Hormel Foods |
| Corporate responsibility governance | About our corporate responsibility structure | About Hormel Foods |
| Water | How we reduce water usage | Environment |
| Human rights | How we respect the rights of all workers | People |