Hormel Foods Corporation — Ethics Grade D

Hormel Foods Corporation receives an overall ethics grade of D (38/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Food & Beverage. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 30
• privacy: 80
• consumer: 45
• environment: 42
• humanRights: 55

Documented incidents (3)

• Child Labor Violations (high, 2023) — A subsidiary's sanitation contractor, PSSI, was found to have employed minors in hazardous conditions at Hormel processing plants. The Labor Department investigation lead to significant fines for the contractor.
• Water Pollution Discharges (medium, 2021) — The company faced litigation regarding wastewater discharge from its processing facilities in Iowa, allegedly exceeding permitted levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. This impacted local water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
• False Advertising Claims (medium, 2019) — Hormel settled a lawsuit regarding its 'Natural Choice' advertising line, with critics alleging the meat was sourced from industrial factory farms despite the marketing suggestions of high-standard animal welfare.

Documented good deeds

• Renewable Energy Goal — Initiated a massive solar project in Kansas to offset power consumption for its manufacturing facilities.

Ethical alternatives

• Vital Farms — Maintains significantly higher animal welfare standards and pasture-raised transparency.