SMITHFIELD, Va. — C. Larry Pope, Smithfield Foods' president and chief executive officer, was recently recognized as a Top 100 thought leader in trustworthy business behavior by Trust Across America, a New York-based think tank that seeks to measure and applaud responsible business conduct.
"I'm honored to be recognized by Trust Across America," said C. Larry Pope, "but every one of our employees plays a defining role in producing good food, responsibly. This type of forward thinking has been established through sustainability programs at all levels of our company."
In December, 2011, Smithfield Foods also ranked first on Trust Across America's list of most trustworthy companies. According to a Trust Across America news release, the list was developed by analyzing nearly 2,500 public companies across more than 200 data points with respect to five key corporate indicators of trustworthy business behavior: financial stability and strength, accounting conservativeness, corporate integrity, transparency, and sustainability.
"Trust must be gained, not claimed," said Dennis Treacy, Smithfield Foods' executive vice president and chief sustainability officer. "Over the past decade we've closely examined our company to be certain we deserve trust in the eyes of our employees, customers and consumers as part of our efforts to operate in a responsible and sustainable manner. We view the evolving process as a journey rather than a destination."
"While we are proud of our progress thus far, we know that the hallmark of an effective sustainability program is continuous improvement, which is something we strive for here at Smithfield," Treacy said. "We thank Trust Across America for its work to draw attention to corporate sustainability and the critical role it must play in business today."
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $12 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Farmland®, Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Armour® and John Morrell®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.
About Trust Across America
Trust Across America (TAA) is a program of Next Decade, Inc., an award-winning firm that has been unraveling and simplifying complex subjects for over 20 years. TAA provides a framework for public companies to improve trustworthy business practices through detailed individual company reports, industry and sector analyses, and an index of its data.TAA also provides a variety of media opportunities to highlight companies and leaders exhibiting high levels of trust and integrity.
Source: Smithfield Foods, Inc.