Smithfield Foods pledges to cut food waste by 50% by 2030

Published 10:00 am Friday, January 21, 2022

Pork producer Smithfield Foods announced a pledge to halve food losses and achieve zero-waste-to-landfill certification within eight years. They plan to meet these goals by targeting the prevention of food loss and waste before it arises, recovery of wholesome food for donation, and recycling of food loss and waste to other uses, such as animal feed, compost and energy generation.

In the United States, it’s estimated that 30-40% of food goes to waste. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 31% of the waste is on the consumer and retail level, but the rest comes from agriculture.

Smithfield’s efforts will put them among the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)’s U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, private businesses and organizations that have publicly committed to reducing food waste.  

“For years, Smithfield has spearheaded impactful programs to proactively minimize waste and reduce carbon emissions. Simultaneously, we’ve taken meaningful action to fight food insecurity in our communities,” said Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods. “Our new food loss and waste goal furthers both of these objectives and underscores our longstanding commitment to produce wholesome, safe and affordable food in a responsible way.” 

See the full press release here.