Company also named a Military Friendly Employer® for its commitment to veteran hiring
Smithfield, Va., Nov. 10, 2023 — Smithfield Foods was named the #1 Military Times 2023 Best For Vets Employer in agriculture for its programs to recruit, retain and support the veteran community, and a 2024 Military Friendly® Employer, recognizing the company’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for the military community.
“We are grateful for the men and women who have served our country, and we extend our gratitude for the sacrifices they have made to preserve and defend our freedom,” said Shane Smith, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods. “Smithfield is honored to be recognized as a Best for Vets Employer and Military Friendly Employer® for our work to support veterans in their transition back to civilian life.”
In its 14th year, Military Times Best for Vets: Employers rankings are based on the results of a voluntary survey that asks companies about their policies, practices and benefits for veterans and their families. The editorially driven Best for Vets program produces a highly respected analysis of a company’s efforts to recruit, retain and support current and former service members, military spouses and military caregivers.
The Best for Vets survey captures the areas of greatest importance to transitioning service members, veterans and their families when looking for an employer. Recruitment and employment practices, as well as retention and support programs, were given the most weight and importance in scoring and final rankings.
Military Times previously recognized Smithfield as a Best For Vets Employer in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
The Military Friendly® Company designation recognizes organizations that have met or exceeded the standard in recruiting, hiring and training of veterans. The survey investigates and identifies the organizations whose commitment to serving the military and veteran community is comprehensive in scope and meaningful in terms of actual outcomes and impact.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® Employer designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 2,100 organizations compete annually for Military Friendly® designation.
Smithfield honors the service and sacrifice of American veterans and their families through its Helping Our Heroes program, which includes hiring initiatives, career development and programs to strengthen the community and family support systems veterans rely on. The company also supports veterans through its employee business resource group, Smithfield Salutes, which provides resources for existing employees with prior military service.
Smithfield recently announced a $25,000 donation to support Military Missions in Action’s Homes For Healing program, which provides new or gently-used furniture and household goods to veterans, active-duty service members and families in need of establishing housing stability. Read more here.
For more information on Smithfield’s veteran programs, please visit smithfieldfoods.com/veterans.
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About Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is a U.S. food company that employs nearly 60,000 people in seven countries and partners with thousands of American farmers. As one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies, we are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” to feed a growing world population. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30% across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs in all 50 U.S. states. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Gwaltney® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and connect with us on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads.
About Military Times
The Military Times digital platforms and newsweeklies are the trusted source for independent news and information for service members and their families. The military community relies on Air Force Times, Army Times, Marine Corps Times, and Navy Times for reporting on everything important to their lives, including pay, benefits, finance, education, health care, recreational resources, retirement, promotions, product reviews, and entertainment. Military Times is published by Sightline Media Group. To learn more, visit www.militarytimes.com.
About Military Friendly ® Employers
Military Friendly® is the standard that measures an organization’s commitment, effort, and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for the military community. Over 2,100 organizations compete annually for Military Friendly® designation. Military Friendly® ratings are owned by Viqtory, Inc., a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. Viqtory is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense or the federal government. Results are produced via a rules-based algorithm. The data-driven Military Friendly® lists and methodology can be found at https://www.militaryfriendly.com/mfcguide/.
Contact:
Ray Atkinson
Smithfield Foods, Inc.
(757) 576-1383
