Meat+Poultry - April 2021 - 10

BUSINESS NOTES

Smithfield sets sustainability
goals for packaging
Stewart Leeth, chief sustainability
officer for Smithfield, said the latest commitment builds on the company's ongoing
efforts to bolster its sustainability goals,
which included using trays made from 50%
recyclable material when it launched its
plant-based Pure Farmland brand in 2019.
" Continual efforts to innovate packaging
in favor of materials that can be recycled,
reused and composted is an important
component of holistic, sustainable food
production, " Leeth said. " As a food-industry
sustainability pioneer, Smithfield recognizes
the importance of continuing to explore
new ways to build upon our ambitious
commitments and reduce waste across
production and operations. "

Volpi Foods gets a
brand makeover

" We work closely with local farms to
source all-natural ingredients that are
always fresh and never frozen. We utilize
family recipes passed down through
generations and a proven small batch
process for a delicious taste experience.
In order to convey each message through
our packaging, we have developed new
icon markers, to communicate these
fundamental pillars of our brand in an
easy to digest, approachable way for all
shoppers. "
The new packaging will feature a blue
color and use icons to call out all-natural
ingredients, small batch and slow-aged
processes, products with no nitrates or
nitrites added and gluten-free.

Fourth-generation owned-and-operated
processor of specialty cured meats, Volpi
Foods, announced in March it will update
its website and packaging. St. Louis-based
Volpi plans to highlight the family's cured
and crafted brand with the revamped look.
" We have been developing this new
look for our brand over the last few years, "
said Lorenza Pasetti, chief executive officer
of Volpi. " It emphasizes our family history
and dedication to quality and speaks to
long-time Volpi customers, as well as the
new audience of charcuterie consumers
who may be trying our products for the
first time, " she said.

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MEAT+ POULTRY | 04.21 | www.meatpoultry.com

Beyond Meat Inc.
has entered strategic
partnerships with
McDonald's Corp.,
Chicago, and Yum!
Brands Inc., Louisville,
Ky. The agreements
will make Beyond Meat
a partner with both
companies to co-develop
plant-based menu items.
The McDonald's
agreement goes a step
further and names
Beyond Meat as
McDonald's " preferred
supplier " for the patty in
the McPlant sandwich,
a plant-based item
currently in test markets.
The partnership
with Yum! Brands is
an expansion of the
companies' earlier
collaborations.
KFC tested Beyond
Fried Chicken at an
Atlanta-area restaurant
in 2019, according to
Beyond Meat. Since the
initial rollout, KFC has
expanded testing of
Beyond Fried Chicken
in other US cities. In
2020, Pizza Hut US
launched the Beyond
Italian Sausage Pizza and
the Great Beyond Pizza
nationwide.
Bruce Friedrich,
executive director of
the Good Food Institute,
a Washington-based
group that advocates
for the development
of plant-based meat
alternatives, said the
agreements demonstrate
the long-term potential
of alternative meats.

Volpi Foods

In an announcement that coincided
with Global Recycling Day on March 17,
Smithfield Foods Inc. announced plans
to transition to packaging that is 90%
recyclable or compostable by 2030, as
part of a companywide campaign that also
includes cutting its use of petroleum-based
plastic by 50%.
To achieve the goals, the company
has formed a team to develop alternative
packaging options and reduce the use of
plastic. The effort is part of Smithfield's
zero-waste-to-landfill program, with a goal
of slashing the amount of solid waste it
sends to landfills by 75% by 2025. Currently
the cross-functional team is focused on
replacing polystyrene trays.

Beyond Meat
announces QSR
partnerships
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - April 2021

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