CONTACT: Casey Kammerle (610) 312-4428

WASHINGTON, DC - The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) today honored Maple Leaf Foods at the Environment, Labor and Safety+ Conference with the highest award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

"It is clear that Maple Leaf Foods has spent thoughtful time and energy on fostering a diverse and inclusive workspace for their employees," said NAMI President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. "NAMI is proud of Maple Leaf's leadership and commitment to continuous improvement in the meat and poultry industry and in the communities that they serve."

The DEI Awards were developed to recognize companies committed to promoting and implementing a DEI strategy within their organization. The application criteria includes: Mission, Vision, and Values; Goals, Targets, and Initiatives; Leadership and Accountability; Infrastructure and Implementation; Recruitment and Retention; Training and Education; Community Awareness/Engagement; and Culture.

NAMI recognized eight additional companies for their outstanding efforts in DEI. Those companies are Bob Evans Farms, Inc., Cargill, Clemens Food Group, Greater Omaha Packing Co., Miniat Holdings LLC, OSI Group, Smithfield Foods, and Tyson Foods.

These companies were all eligible for NAMI awards because they reported data in 2022 for The Protein PACT , which is uniting the largest-ever industry effort to strengthen animal protein's contributions to healthy people, healthy animals, healthy communities, and a healthy environment.

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About the North American Meat Institute : The North American Meat Institute is a leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. The Meat Institute's members process the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, as well as manufactures the equipment and ingredients needed to produce safe, high quality meat and poultry products.