Company Chairman, Jim Perdue, explained: “As a values-driven, family owned business, Perdue Farms has a three-generation history of conducting business in a manner worthy of the trust of everyone our business touches.

“Through promises that cover every aspect of our business and all of our constituencies, our ‘We believe in responsible food and agriculture’ platform incorporates our company’s long-standing values into a formal structure of accountability and transparency.”

Perdue’s Corporate Responsibility Report outlines the company’s recent accomplishments in the areas of food safety, quality and nutrition; associate health, safety and well-being; poultry welfare; environmental stewardship; commitments to customers and farmers; and research, development and investments in the future.

The Corporate Responsibility Report covers:

• The company’s innovative associate safety, health and wellness programs, including onsite Wellness Centers providing primary care to associates and their families
• Environmental stewardship, including greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, fossil fuel reductions and water use reductions
• Poultry Welfare programs that exceed industry standards
• Corporate philanthropy and associate volunteerism
• Food safety and improvements in the health and nutrition aspects of our products
• Improvements in customer service
• Innovation, new products and investments in the company’s future.

Highlights of the report include:

• A 45.2 per cent improvement in recycling percentages and nine per cent reduction in landfill pounds in 2012, compared to 2009 baseline measurement.
• An 8.5 per cent decrease in Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) carbon emissions, compared to a 2009 baseline.
• Associate enrolment in the Perdue Health Improvement Program (HIP) increased to 88 per cent since the program’s inception in 2008, and the average associate “HIP” health score (measured on a scale of 1-5) has risen from 3.44 to 3.63
• In financial year 2012, Perdue Farms exceeded its safety goals, which include OSHA safety metrics, by more than 18 per cent. The company also exceeded its Fleet Safety Goal for its truck fleet.
• The PERDUE® brand’s recently introduced line of SIMPLY SMART® fully cooked, frozen products as part of an ongoing move to all-natural ingredients with better nutrition.
• The Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, made 89 grants to 79 different organisations in 2011.

Mr Perdue continued: “As chairman, I know that continued trust in the Perdue name will be earned through responsibility and transparency. Our first Corporate Responsibility Report is the start of a formal process of setting goals and tracking progress. We recognize that sustainability is not an end state, but a continuous commitment to operate our company with a smaller footprint. We welcome the opportunity to share with all of our constituencies our progress toward that goal.”

The Perdue Farms Corporate Responsibility Report can be viewed online at www.responsiblefoodandagriculture.com.