On November 12, Smithfield Foods announced 36 new ISO 14001 environmental certifications at the company's facilities in the U.S. and Europe.

The newly-certified facilities include 14 domestic plants, 21 farms and the Smithfield Prod facility in Romania. The announcement brings the number of Smithfield Foods ISO 14001-certified locations to 578 worldwide.

"For years Smithfield Foods has been recognized as a leader in the meat industry, and it is gratifying that we continue to be recognized as an industry leader in environmental stewardship," said C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods. "ISO certification acknowledges that Smithfield Foods meets a stringent set of internationally respected environmental management standards."

ISO 14001 is the international gold standard for environmental management. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, promotes the development and implementation of voluntary international standards for an environmental management system (EMS). A facility receiving ISO certification has implemented an EMS that includes formalized practices to protect the environment, including manure handling, waste treatment systems, water conservation, sanitation and good housekeeping practices.

Smithfield Foods' commitment to ISO certification began in 2001 when the company started voluntarily implementing a comprehensive EMS on all of its Murphy-Brown hog farms. Subsequently, Murphy-Brown, Smithfield Foods' livestock production subsidiary, became the world's first livestock production company to receive ISO certification of its EMS.
 
In 2005, Smithfield Foods' evolution of its environmental policy continued when the company became the first in its industry to achieve ISO 14001 certification for all of its U.S. hog production and processing facilities, other than new acquisitions.
 
Dennis Treacy, vice president of environmental and corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods, pointed out the important role ISO certification plays in the company's environmental policy.
 
"Environmental stewardship is an important part of the Smithfield Foods business model," Treacy said. "We commend our employees for their hard work in helping the Smithfield Foods family of companies achieve this prestigious certification."
 
The newly-certified facilities are:
 
John Morrell/Armour Eckrich
Junction City, KS
Mason City, IA
Omaha, NE
Peru, IN
St. Charles, IL
St. James, MN
 
John Morrell/Patrick Cudahy
814 Americas, Elizabeth, NJ
 
John Morrell
Premium Pet Health, LLC, Denver, CO
Premium Pet Health, LLC, Sioux City, IA

Smithfield Packing Company
Middlesboro, KY
Grayson, KY
 
Farmland Foods/Cook's Ham
Lincoln, NE
Martin City, KS
Duplin Marketing
Rose Hill, NC
 
Murphy Brown LLC
Premium Standard Farms - 21 farms
 
Smithfield Prod
Timisoara, Romania
 
To obtain ISO certification, a company must meet a rigorous and comprehensive set of requirements and criteria developed by more than 2,000 experts worldwide. The certification process is conducted by an accredited third-party auditor and ensures that anyone receiving certification has mechanisms in place to ensure, and move beyond, environmental compliance.

+ Click here for a full list of Smithfield Foods ISO 14001-certified facilities.