Our Food Journey™

Our belief is that good business and good stewardship go hand in hand.

Given our role in helping to feed America and the world for over 125 years, we know that building social value and creating economic value are not competing goals. For us, there is no daylight between good citizenship and good business.

While we are committed to many worthy causes, including cancer research and fighting childhood hunger, it is our core business – efficiently producing delicious food for the world’s growing population – that we are most proud of. Since the beginning, we’ve believed that social responsibility is more than giving a percentage of our profits at the end of the year.

On Our Food Journey, we are committed to: 

• Investing in our people and partners
• Improving communities and the world
• Creating products that improve the lives of our customers

"We know that building social value and creating economic value are not competing goals. And where Our Path Forward is our compass, Our Food Journey is our North Star."

JIM SNEE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The Road Traveled

Our journey began over 125 years ago, in a small town filled with hard-working people in the heart of American farm country. It was a time when brands weren’t created in marketing departments, but built on authenticity, consistency and reputation. We prospered by treating our customers and partners like neighbors — because that’s who they were then and who they are now. Like our farmers and the grocers who sell our products, we believe that bringing good food from farms to families is an honorable job that creates value for all.

Our journey has taken us miles from those earliest days, and these ideas still guide us.

The Road Ahead

As one of the most trusted food companies, our inspired people are driven to create an impact felt around the world. While all of humanity is now our hometown, our values were formed in the American heartland. We are proud of our ongoing partnerships with more than 500 family farms. Often spanning multiple generations, these farmers share our commitment to animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Each year we pioneer new projects and innovations that reduce water and energy usage. Decreasing food waste and protecting our shared resources for future generations are core to our business.

Whether bringing nutrition and hope to small villages in Guatemala, or providing food for hungry families closer to home, our job is to create beloved brands that make a difference in people’s lives. We believe that every family should have access to foods that are affordable, safe, nutritious and delicious. By making foods that are simpler with more recognizable ingredients, we’re helping people feel confident about their food choices.

In our lifetime, we’ll face many new challenges. Chief among them will be providing quality food to over 10 billion people on a planet with limited resources. To feed all these families will require foresight and continuous innovation. Our inspired people, more than 20,000 strong, are unafraid to lead, imagine and motivate others to do the same. We will challenge the status quo, make new discoveries and share what we learn.

We won’t do it alone. That’s why we are inviting others to join us in our journey. As we move forward, we will be united with our customers, employees, communities, farmers and others who, like us, believe we can make a difference and create a better world. Together, we’ll prove that progress is measured not only in the dollars we make, but in the lives we touch and the communities we lift.

At Hormel Foods, we’re not just inspired to make great food. We’re inspired to make a difference.

Investing in Our People and Partners

• Dedicated to the health, wellness, safety and advancement of our 20,000 inspired team members around the world
• Cultivating long-term relationships of trust, responsibility and innovation with suppliers, partners, and retailers
• Committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce
• Supporting family farms
• Striving for continuous improvement in animal welfare with uncompromising support for animal welfare standards

Inspired story: A Day on the Mogler Farm

Improving Communities and the World

• Doing our part to end hunger and food insecurity by creating safe, wholesome food for all
• Caring for our communities as a good neighbor
• Motivated stewardship of our water, energy and land
• Doing our part to reduce food waste
• Promoting and respecting human rights
• Engaging in honest dialogue with all stakeholders about the challenges that face our global food supply

Inspired story: Bringing Hope

Creating Products That Improve the Lives of Our Customers

• Uncompromising food safety and food integrity
• Improving nutrition and wellness and pioneering functional foods
• Promoting informed food choices through increasing food and sourcing transparency
• Innovating and creating products that make a difference

Inspired Story: Shaking Up Cancer Nutrition

Our 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report

For the last 11 years, we have been proud to share our corporate responsibility efforts and achievements.

Read the report