MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - (TSX:
MFI) – Maple Leaf Foods announced today the release of its
2018 Sustainability Report which outlines the company's key
achievements over the past year and targets for the current
year.
Producing protein is essential in nourishing billions of people,
but also utilizes significant resources. Becoming a sustainable
protein company is a journey Maple Leaf Foods has been on for
several years, and while work remains to be done, meaningful
progress has been accomplished in 2018.
"At Maple Leaf Foods, we are working toward more sustainable
food production and a more sustainable protein industry by doing
things smarter, better and more responsibly," said Michael McCain, President and CEO, Maple Leaf
Foods. "We have a responsibility to ourselves, and to our customers
to address the significant environmental and social challenges we
face as a society. Our vision is to be the most sustainable protein
company on earth."
Maple Leaf's sustainability program is built on four guiding
pillars - Better Food, Better Care, Better Communities and
Better Planet. Highlights include:
Better Food
Maple Leaf Foods is actively addressing consumer demand for
"real food" by reducing artificial ingredients, and sodium levels,
leading in production of meat and poultry raised without
antibiotics and continually advancing leadership in food
safety. In 2018, the company took its flagship Maple Leaf
brand and boldly removed the things people don't recognize or don't
want in their food. The company is also broadening its reach into
protein alternatives through its Lightlife and Field Roast
brands.
Better Care
Maple Leaf Foods has strong values that deeply define its
culture and how it operates. These values extend to how the company
treats animals raised or sourced. As of the end of 2018, Maple Leaf
Foods transitioned approximately 44,000 sows (67%) to an advanced
open sow housing system and will be transitioning all remaining
sows under its management from gestation crates to advanced open
sow housing by the end of 2021.
Maple Leaf is also leading and growing in sustainable meat,
without the use of any antibiotics. Its Greenfield brand is the
clear leader in that segment, and this has been extended into the
Maple Leaf Prime poultry brand.
Better Communities
Maple Leaf Foods values communities and works collaboratively
with organizations to reduce food insecurity in Canada. In 2018, Maple Leaf invested more than
1% of its pre-tax profit to advance sustainable food security. The
company has made a long-term commitment to advancing sustainable
food security and going well beyond conventional corporate
philanthropy. Its Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food
Security, a registered charity governed by an independent Board of
Directors, is committed to working collaboratively across sectors
to reduce food insecurity in Canada by 50% by 2030.
Better Planet
Maple Leaf Foods embraces a sustainable culture that focuses on
eliminating waste. In 2014 Maple Leaf set aggressive goals to
cut its environmental footprint by 50% by 2025 (20% by 2020),
requiring significant reductions in energy, water and solid waste.
By the end of 2018, the company was ahead of target in both
electricity usage and solid waste. To bridge the gap where
more dramatic reductions are required but have not yet been
achieved, Maple Leaf is developing a comprehensive carbon
management strategy.
To learn more about sustainability at Maple Leaf Foods,
visit:
mapleleaffoods.com/sustainability
To learn more about Maple Leaf Foods brands, visit:
mapleleaffoods.com
About Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods is a producer of food products under leading
brands including Maple Leaf®, Maple Leaf Prime®, Maple Leaf Natural
Selections®, Schneiders®, Schneiders® Country Naturals®, Mina®,
Greenfield Natural Meat Co.®, LightlifeTM, Field Roast
Grain Meat Co.TM and Swift®. Maple Leaf employs
approximately 12,500 people and does business in Canada, the U.S. and Asia. The Company is headquartered in
Mississauga, Ontario and its
shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MFI).
SOURCE Maple Leaf Foods Inc.