SPRINGDALE, Ark., April 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) has committed to support improved
environmental practices on two million acres of corn by the end of 2020. It is the largest-ever land stewardship commitment by a
U.S. protein company and supports Tyson Foods’ recently announced goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 30 percent by
2030.
The two million acre commitment, which was announced today as part of the release of Tyson Foods’ newest sustainability report, will encourage grain farmers to adopt more efficient fertilizer
practices, and take additional measures to reduce water runoff and soil loss.
“Each day our team members are defining what it means to achieve our aspiration of sustainably feeding the world. This is a big
step that is part of our ongoing and deepening commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Justin Whitmore, executive vice
president corporate strategy and chief sustainability officer of Tyson Foods. “We’ve made significant progress toward previously
announced goals related to workplace safety and fully expect similar momentum with today’s land stewardship target.”
Tyson Foods does not own grain farms but buys corn and soybeans to feed its poultry. It also buys cattle and hogs from farmers
and ranchers who use grain to feed their animals. The initiative is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by
the company’s supply chain.
“The world needs a more sustainable food system, and we believe it’s up to big companies like ours to set the pace with bold
goals that help protect the planet while also enabling us to feed a growing world,” said Tom Hayes, president and CEO of Tyson
Foods. “We look forward to collaborating with grain farmers, environmental groups and others as we implement this new
initiative.”
To reach the target, Tyson Foods expects to work with at least one third-party organization on a program to encourage corn
farmers to adopt practices that reduce fertilizer use and soil loss. Company officials also plan to collaborate with various
environmental groups, such as the Nature Conservancy, as well as academic experts.
“The Nature Conservancy would like to congratulate Tyson Foods on its ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in
its own operations, support improved environmental practices on two million acres of cropland, and reduce the amount of water used
to produce each pound of food,” said Scott Simon, Arkansas Director of the Nature Conservancy. “We look forward to working with the
company to implement these influential goals in some of the most critical supply chains and geographies for our conservation
mission.”
The two million acre target represents enough land to grow corn to feed all of Tyson Foods’ annual broiler chicken production,
as well as a some of the pigs and cattle the company buys from independent farmers and ranchers for its pork and beef
operations.
Tyson Foods is buying an increasing percentage of the grain it needs through its Local Grain Services program, which sources
grain closer to where the birds are raised, reducing the energy use associated with transportation.
Sustainability Report
The company today also released its fiscal year (FY) 2017 Sustainability Report. Including the environment, it focuses on the
following areas:
- Community: Tyson Foods donated more than $16 million in cash and in-kind donations in FY2017 and provided almost 40 million
servings of food for hunger and disaster relief.
- Food: 100 percent of Tyson Foods’ K-12 commodity chicken products contain no artificial ingredients and the USDA-verified
claim of chicken raised with No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) for the 2018-2019 school year.
- Workplace: In FY2017, Tyson Foods announced a goal to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses by 15-percent-year-over-year.
In FY2017, we reduced our total recordable incident rate by 22 percent as compared to our FY2016 performance.
- Animal Well-Being: Tyson Foods continues to provide increased transparency by releasing more details about the Tyson
FarmCheck® program, which involves the third-party, on-farm animal well-being audits. The company has also
implemented the industry’s largest third-party remote video auditing system to monitor live animal handling in our poultry
plants.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE:TSN) is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded
in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and
brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson
Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise the world’s
expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 122,000 team members. Through
its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team
members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit www.tysonfoods.com.
Media Contact:
Derek Burleson, 479-290-6466, derek.burleson@tyson.com
