The North American Meat Institute has taken a leadership roll in collecting data and fostering a common cause in the protein industries through the Protein PACT’s vision. Through the Protein PACT, partners across animal proteins are working to strengthen animal protein’s contributions to healthy people, healthy animals, healthy communities, and a healthy environment.
Just in time for the United Nation’s Climate Summit next week in Egypt, NAMI has released a report with data covering an estimated 90 percent of meat sold in the U.S. by volume, setting the first ever baseline for measuring progress towards the partnerships’s goals.
“98 percent of American households purchase meat, putting our sector undoubtedly at the center of solutions for healthy diets, healthy communities, and a healthy planet for generations to come,” says Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “The Meat Institute’s first-ever continuous improvement report is a game changer for transparency in the sector – setting transparent baselines that will allow us to measure progress and verify our sector’s contributions to global goals.”
The Meat Institute’s sustainability framework was created to help drive producer’s momentum, fill data gaps, and advance tools needed to improve while continuing to produce the food Americans and families around the world need. One of NAMI’s targets is that by 2030, 100 percent of NAMI members will have an approved science-based target to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement goals.
The Protein PACT’s goals are simple:
- Provide the most humane care and raise healthy animals
- Support a diverse workforce and ensure safe workplaces
- Produce safe food without exception
- Provide wide variety of high-quality protein for balanced diets
- Optimize contributions to healthy land, air, and water
With 100 percent of the Meat Institute’s large U.S. members (more than 2,000 employees) submitting data, the report covers an estimated 90 percent of meat sold in the United States (by volume) and sets the first ever baselines for measuring progress toward ambitious targets for environmental sustainability, animal care, food safety, worker safety, and food security.
Further key findings include:
- Supporting NAMI’s commitment to measure and fill the “protein gap” for needy families by 2025, 78 percent of reporting companies donate money or products to food banks and charities, including more than nine million dollars announced this year to combat hunger by building or expanding food banks’ capacity to safely receive, store, package, and distribute fresh meat hungry families need.
- 82 percent of reporting facilities are covered by a company commitment to minimize packaging waste, and 71 percent are covered by a company commitment to reduce food waste.
- 96 percent of reporting facilities that conduct meat processing require suppliers to maintain a written animal welfare program based on NAMI Animal Handling Guidelines.
- 98 percent of reporting facilities have a multidisciplinary team that periodically reviews food safety programs and takes improvement actions.
