A Message from Dennis Treacy--Summer 2010 Edition
Dear Smithfield Foods Employees,
I am pleased to write this letter in my new capacity here at
Smithfield: senior vice president, corporate affairs, and chief
sustainability officer. This is a new position for our company-and
an indication of the central role sustainability plays for us and
for our customers.
Since last year we have updated the way we manage corporate
social responsibility (CSR) issues across the company. We have
refined our systems of accountability and oversight, and we have
set goals and targets for our five core areas of focus:
environmental performance, animal welfare, food safety, community
relations and employees. We also have two new sustainability
committees-one composed of board members, the other made up of top
executives from across our company. As these recent changes
demonstrate, we understand that managing CSR is integral to
producing good business results and essential to maintaining good
relationships with all our stakeholders.
When I joined Smithfield Foods almost a decade ago, many of you
may remember that the company was aiming to improve its
performance, particularly on the environmental front. We're first
to admit that back in the 1990s there were concerns with our
environmental management and performance. Yet over the years, we've
transformed ourselves into a company that is leading our industry
in many areas.
Increasingly, our customers and our ultimate consumers are
asking us tough questions about our CSR programs. They want to know
what Smithfield Foods is doing-and where we're going. It's
important for you, our employees, to be informed about who we are
as a company and about what we are doing to be an industry leader
in sustainability. Hopefully, you are able to share the company's
drive to produce good food in a responsible manner, and able to
inform others about the steps our company is taking in order to
ensure that happens.
As employees, we welcome your comments on our progress-and your
thoughts about where our sustainability journey should take us
next.
Sincerely,
Dennis H. Treacy
Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and Chief Sustainability
Officer
August 31, 2010