Cargill Meat Facilities Get Environmental Certification
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2008
Contact: Greg Standifer, (316) 352-5147
WICHITA, Kan. – Twenty-five Cargill meat locations and complexes have achieved the ISO 14001 environmental certification.
“The ISO 14001 certification recognizes what we have in place to manage environmental stewardship and allows us to assess what we’re doing so we can continuously improve,” said Bill Rupp, president of Cargill Meat Solutions (CMS). “Receiving this certification reflects the commitment of the Cargill team and our focus on being a good neighbor and supplier.”
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, is the world’s largest developer and publisher of international standards for quality and environmental management.
Among the existing CMS efforts are:
- Methane Recovery: Eleven North American meat processing plants recover the methane generated from their wastewater treatment facilities, reducing fossil fuel demand by more than $10 million in 2007.
- Energy Efficiency Improvements: From capital investment projects to educational programs designed to drive behavior changes, the meat business has improved its energy efficiency by nearly 20 percent since 2001.
The processing plants receiving the certification include the entire range of CMS processing facilities, such as beef, pork, turkey, value-added meats and case ready in North America. In addition to processing facilities, the turkey complexes included allied facilities, such as breeder farms and hatcheries. The certification also covers five cattle feedlots and three company-owned hog farms.
NSF International Strategic Registrations, a global auditing and certification company, assessed CMS’s Environmental Management System (EMS) to certify the Cargill locations for ISO 14001 compliance.
“Achieving the ISO 14001 certification is indicative of Cargill’s commitment to go beyond regulatory compliance and to be a responsible manufacturer,” said Nicole Santure, ISO manager for Cargill’s meat businesses. “Because ISO’s standards are internationally recognized, the certification is additionally important in international markets.”
Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation is one of the largest fresh, frozen and value-added beef, pork and turkey suppliers in the country. The business is a subsidiary of Cargill, Incorporated, an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 153,000 employees in 66 countries, Cargill is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit http://www.cargillmeatsolutions.com/ and http://www.cargill.com/.