Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) has announced a companywide clean
label initiative to simplify the ingredient statements of many of its
retail products through the removal or replacement of ingredients, while
still delivering great-tasting items that consumers expect.
“We know that a growing number of consumers are looking for products
made with simple, familiar ingredients,” said Scott Aakre, vice
president of corporate innovation and new product development at Hormel
Foods.
The company’s Valley Fresh® products, Hormel®
Compleats® microwaveable meals, Hormel®
Always Tender® meats and two Hormel®
side dishes have already been simplified. Projects are currently
underway to simplify the ingredient statements for Hormel®
chili, Dinty Moore® stew and SPAM®
products.
In addition, the company’s Hormel® Natural
Choice® meats were developed nine years ago with a
simplified ingredient statement in mind. Hormel®
Natural Choice® meats are 100 percent natural with
zero preservatives, no artificial colors or MSG, no nitrites or nitrates
added, and have no gluten-containing ingredients.
“This initiative is in alignment with our company’s continuous
improvement process and better positions our products with current
consumer preferences,” said Kevin L. Myers, senior vice president of R&D
at Hormel Foods.
Valley Fresh® 100% natural chicken, for example,
contains only chicken breast meat with rib meat, chicken broth, sea salt
and rosemary extract.
“Now consumers can feel even better about the products they know and
love,” Myers said.
In addition to the company’s retail products clean label efforts, the
company’s foodservice division is focusing on clean labels as well.
Knowing that foodservice operators and their patrons desire their
ingredients and menu items to reflect what they find in their own
pantries, all Hormel Foods Foodservice innovation efforts will continue
to be chef-inspired with easily recognized ingredients, smart sodium
levels and on-trend preparation methods. Innovation product successes
include Hormel® Fire Braised™ meats, Hormel®
Natural Choice® meats, and recently introduced Hormel®
FUSE™ burgers. Each of these items are 100 percent all natural with
zero preservatives, no artificial colors, no nitrites or nitrates added,
and have no gluten-containing ingredients.
The Hormel Foods clean label initiative builds upon the company’s sodium
reduction efforts that have been in place for several years. The company
aims to reduce sodium levels in select products within its branded
retail portfolio by an average of 15 percent.
Additional information about the company’s clean label initiative and
sodium reduction efforts will be included in the 2015 Hormel Foods
Corporate Responsibility report, which will launch in June 2016.
About Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in
Austin, Minn., is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of
consumer-branded food and meat products, many of which are among the
best known and trusted in the food industry. Hormel Foods, which
leverages its extensive expertise, innovation and high competencies in
pork and turkey processing and marketing to bring branded, value-added
products to the global marketplace, will celebrate its 125th
anniversary in 2016. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor's
(S&P) 500 Index, S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, and was named one of “The
100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for
the seventh year in a row. Hormel Foods also received a perfect score on
the 2016 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, was recognized
on the 2016 Best for Vets Employers List by Military Times, and was
named one of the 2016 Best Companies for Leaders by Chief Executive
magazine. The company enjoys a strong reputation among consumers, retail
grocers, foodservice and industrial customers for products highly
regarded for quality, taste, nutrition, convenience and value. For more
information, visit http://www.hormelfoods.com
and http://2014csr.hormelfoods.com/.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160413005240/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2016