Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) recently announced the winner of its companywide fourth annual Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best competition, which recognizes the many employees who work hard to continually improve environmental sustainability work processes within the company.

The Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best champion was selected by a panel of judges at the Corporate Office in Austin, Minn., based on criteria such as project scope and goal setting, teamwork, problem solving and achievement.

Farmer John (Vernon, Calif.) took top honors for the team’s solid waste minimization project, which resulted in an additional 958 tons per year of recycling and more than 455 tons of waste that was diverted to a local waste-to-energy facility.

The 42 Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best projects documented the following annual savings:

• Water: 203 million gallons;
• Natural gas: 11,900 MMBtu;
• Electricity: 3,890,000 Kwh; and
• Solid waste: 3,000 tons.

“Each of the finalists documented impressive efforts and equally impressive results that have significantly contributed to the 2011 Sustainability Best of the Best program,” said Thomas E. Raymond, director of environmental sustainability at Hormel Foods. “Congratulations to the Farmer John team and to all of the 2011 participants!”

The other finalists in the competition included the Diamond Crystal Brands (Mitchellville, Iowa) team for their solid waste/landfill avoidance project, and the Fremont (Neb.) Plant and Osceola (Iowa) Food teams for their water conservation projects.

“Any process improvement effort that supports the business is a great fit for the competition. Most improvement projects chosen by cross-functional teams are focused on improving the previous year’s performance,” said Jeffrey R. Ziegler, Six Sigma project manager at Hormel Foods. “From employees and shareholders, to suppliers, customers and consumers, everyone benefits from the Best of the Best process.”

Applicants represent a cross-section of various locations and departments. Judging at all levels of this recognition process evaluates communication and participation of all team members, while assessing the significance of improvement and general application of continuous improvement process competencies. Hormel Foods also hosts a companywide Best of the Best honor, which has been awarded since 2000.

About Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, many of which are among the best known and trusted in the food industry. The company leverages its extensive expertise, innovation and high competencies in pork and turkey processing and marketing to bring branded, value-added products to the global marketplace. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes, Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders and was named one of "The 100 Most Trustworthy Companies" by Forbes in 2010. The company enjoys a strong reputation among consumers, retail grocers, foodservice and industrial customers for products highly regarded for quality, taste, nutrition, convenience and value. For more information, visit http://www.hormelfoods.com

Hormel Foods Corporation

Hormel Foods Corporation

About Hormel Foods – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across 75 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY®, SPAM®, Hormel® Natural Choice®, Applegate®, Justin’s®, Wholly Guacamole®, Hormel® Black Label® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the ninth year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. In 2016, the company celebrated its 125th anniversary and announced its new vision for the future - Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ - focusing on its legacy of innovation. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and https://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

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