Last week at the Environment, Labor and Safety+ Conference's Award Ceremony & Reception in New Orleans, the Meat Institute recognized hundreds of meat and poultry establishments for their efforts across four categories: Environment, Worker Safety, Health & Wellness and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

2023 Environmental Achievement Award Winners

The Meat Institute recognized more than 200 meat and poultry plants for their positive environmental impact efforts. Thirteen additional establishments that went above and beyond were granted Environmental Achievement Awards for their progress with emissions reduction, energy conservation, packaging/food waste reduction, technological innovation and water conservation.

“The Meat Institute congratulates each of these establishments and their leadership for ensuring their products contribute to a sustainable food system,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “Their hard work and innovation will ensure the meat and poultry industry continues to employ the highest standards and latest technology to produce wholesome, safe, nutritious products that consumers can be proud to put on their plates.”

The Meat Institute Environmental Achievement Awards are given to its member companies that go beyond environmental compliance by designing and successfully implementing an innovative plant upgrade or environmental program. The Environmental Achievement Award winners represent establishments operated by JBS USA, Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods. The winners are as follows:

The Environmental Recognition Award winners include establishments throughout North America operated by: American Foods Group, Caviness Beef Packers, Clemens Food Group, CS Beef Packers, FPL Foods, Golden State Foods, JBS/Pilgrim’s, Land O’ Frost, Maple Leaf Foods, OSI Group, Smithfield Foods, SugarCreek Packing, Triumph Foods and Tyson Foods.

2023 Worker Safety Award Winners

The Meat Institute recognized nearly 200 meat and poultry plants for improving and achieving high levels of worker safety performance.

“The Meat Institute is honoring these establishments and their leadership for continuing to prioritize the health and safety of the hard workers who help feed America,” said Potts. “These awards recognize the commitments made by companies to continuously improve their workplace safety practices and reduce workplace injuries.”

The Worker Safety Recognition Awards honor plants that have achieved a high level of safety performance as part of the continuing effort to reduce occupational injury and illness. The Worker Safety Award Winners can be found here.

The various levels of awards – including the Award of Honor, Award of Merit, Award of Commendation and the Certificate of Recognition – are based on a National Safety Council evaluation of each eligible plant's actual safety performance as well as its implementation of various key components of an effective safety and health program. The NSC staff examined Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Total Recordable Cases rate and the rate for Cases With Days Away From Work, Job Transfer, or Restriction data for each facility.

2023 Health & Wellness Award Winners

The Meat Institute awarded Fresh Mark, Marcus Technologies, Tyson Foods and SugarCreek Packing with the Meat Institute’s Health and Wellness Awards.

“Meat Institute members have always made significant contributions to the communities where they operate and beyond,” said Potts. “Whether member companies are expanding childcare options, improving healthcare services or donating meat and poultry products, we are grateful for the leadership shown by these award winners.”

The Health and Wellness Awards, which were given out in four categories this year, were developed to recognize companies that have made tangible efforts to improve health and wellness in their local and corporate communities. The four categories, their descriptions and the winners are as follows:

2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award Winners

The Meat Institute honored five companies with its highest award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Those five companies are American Foods Group, Bob Evans Farms, Catelli Brothers, Fresh-Lock by Presto Products and Tyson Foods.

“It is clear that these companies have spent thoughtful time and energy on fostering an atmosphere of inclusivity and belonging for their employees,” said Potts. “The Meat Institute is proud to have members that commit to the continuous improvement of the meat and poultry industry and in the communities they serve.”

The DEI Awards were developed to recognize companies committed to promoting and implementing a DEI strategy within their organization. The application criteria includes: Mission, Vision, and Values; Goals, Targets, and Initiatives; Leadership and Accountability; Infrastructure and Implementation; Recruitment and Retention; Training and Education; Community Awareness/Engagement; and Culture.

The Meat Institute also recognized five additional companies for their outstanding efforts in DEI. Those companies are Cargill Protein, Maple Leaf Foods, OSI Group, Seaboard Foods and Smithfield Foods. The full list of winners and award criteria are available here.

Companies including Smithfield, American Foods Group, Bob Evans Farms and Cargill showcased their DEI efforts with videos that describe their different programs and how implementing these DEI programs helped their businesses.

These companies were all eligible for Meat Institute awards because they reported data in 2023 for  The Protein PACT, which is uniting the largest-ever industry effort to strengthen animal protein’s contributions to healthy people, healthy animals, healthy communities and a healthy environment.