Garner, N.C. – May 5, 2010 – Butterball, LLC – the nation’s largest poultry processor – has earned Environmental Recognition Awards from the American Meat Institute (AMI) for seven of its plants and feed mills. The awards, which were distributed on April 30 at the AMI Conference on Worker Safety, Human Resources and the Environment in Kansas City, Mo., are given to AMI member companies who go beyond required environmental policies by designing and successfully implementing innovative plant upgrades or environmental programs.
“We are honored to receive positive feedback for our environmental efforts,” said Steve Valesko, vice president of engineering for Butterball, LLC. “At Butterball, we believe it is crucial to meet today’s business needs without endangering the resources of future generations, and we will continue to pursue good environmental stewardship.”
The Butterball facility in Alix, Ark. received a Tier 1 award. To earn this recognition, the facility demonstrated a number of capabilities, including: commitment of upper management, development of a core EMS team, and adoption of several AMI model plans (pollution prevention, emergency response, preventative maintenance, and internal communications).
Butterball facilities in Huntsville, Ark. and Jonesboro, Ark. received Tier 2 awards. These facilities met the criteria for Tier 1 as well as demonstrated adoption of environmental practices, identification and prioritization of environmental aspects and impacts, and development and implementation of an external communications plan.
Butterball facilities in Carthage, Mo.; Ozark, Ark.; Longmont, Colo.; and Mt. Olive, N.C. received Tier 3 recognitions. In addition to meeting the criteria for Tiers 1 and 2, these facilities went above and beyond by establishing objectives and targets for improvement, and educating and encouraging another facility’s EMS
program.
Within the AMI Environmental Recognition Award, there are four tiers, with Tier 4 being the highest. When evaluating companies for the Environmental Recognition Award, the AMI considers five areas: resource conservation, pollution prevention, upgrades to environmental sustainability, environmental outreach to the public and environmental training programs.
About Butterball, LLC:
Butterball, LLC, the largest producer of turkey products in the United States, is headquartered in Garner, N.C. For more than 50 years, the iconic brand’s succulent whole bird products have been a central part of special moments. Today, the company also has a broad array of offerings for retail, deli and foodservice that help make meals something to celebrate every day. Butterball products are enjoyed domestically and internationally.
The company’s three-pronged approach to Doing Business Right focuses on self-governance, sustainability and social responsibility. The initiative plays a key role in providing internal oversight for integrating values that are important to the company.
As the industry leader in quality and food safety, the company employs numerous processes to ensure the health of flocks and implements recognized prevention measures to exceed food safety standards in its seven plants, located in North Carolina, Colorado, Arkansas and Missouri. In addition, Butterball has surpassed important workplace safety and health benchmarks set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program.
For more information about Butterball, visit www.butterball.com. You can also call 1-800-BUTTERBALL for answers to your most puzzling questions about turkey preparation.