Sustainable Agriculture

Water

We helped launch the Cedar River Watershed Partnership — a public-private partnership aimed at improving water quality.

Hormel Foods recognizes the critical role that sustainable agricultural practices play in meeting the world’s food demands while protecting our natural resources.

That’s why we have developed a Sustainable Agriculture Policy that applies to our direct suppliers, including our family farms and growers.

In 2017, we completed a high-level water risk assessment of our top suppliers through our participation in the AgWater Challenge. We have also completed our first water risk questionnaire set with key suppliers to gain additional insight into the supply chain management of water risks. In 2018, we helped launch the Cedar River Watershed Partnership — a public-private partnership aimed at improving water quality in this watershed within our supply chain. The partnership has held several events for farmers, including a field day educational event that focused on maximizing soil health. A priority of the partnership is helping farmers in the watershed become certified through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. We will continue to be engaged in this initiative, will promote water quality certification within our supply chain and will continue to explore additional ways to promote sustainable agriculture.

Regenerative Agriculture

Hormel Foods is committed to supporting regenerative agriculture initiatives. Our Applegate subsidiary launched The New Food Collective™ brand in 2019. This premium brand uses pasture-raised meats and small-batch production methods. The first test product of The New Food Collective™ featured fresh sausages made from the first pork to be certified by the American Grassfed Association. The New Food Collective™ brand team is committed to sourcing from farmers and ranchers who use regenerative agricultural practices that are designed to improve soil, water retention and biodiversity.