The North American Meat Institute’s (NAMI) Executive Board unanimously voted to declare food security a non-competitive issue, bolstering industry-wide initiatives to end hunger and guarantee that families in need have access to nutrient-dense meat.
The Meat Institute has committed to closing the protein gap by 2025 through the Protein PACT for the People, Animals, and Climate of Tomorrow. The commitment is to guarantee that low-income families have access to enough high-quality protein to fulfill American dietary recommendations. Members of the Meat Institute will be brought together by the committee to foster conversation, information exchange, and problem-solving about charity giving, hunger relief, and food security.
Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute, believes, “Ending hunger requires even greater collaboration. Declaring food security a non-competitive issue will allow the Meat Institute and its members to freely share best practices, an especially important step as the industry prepares to support the September 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.”
What is Protein PACT?
The Meat Institute’s sustainability approach is integrated into the Protein PACT, which also aligns the entire animal protein supply chain to hasten the attainment of world goals for healthy people, healthy animals, healthy communities, and a healthy planet. This week, the PACT will host a stakeholder meeting to examine the importance of animal protein in eradicating hunger. Participants will include Meat Institute members, Protein PACT partner organizations, and experts in the fields of animal protein and food security.
The Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health organizers will receive the important findings from the stakeholder session. Significant advancements in worker safety, food safety, environmental impact, and animal care have been made possible through the sharing of best practices on non-competitive topics.
These advancements have led to many accomplishments that include:
- The creation of voluntary ergonomic guidelines, which have led to an over 80% decrease in worker illnesses and injuries and regular all-time industry lows.
- Drastic reductions in pathogenic bacteria on meat products, such as E. coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, have made it possible for 99.999 percent of meals containing meat and poultry to be consumed safely every day in the U.S.
- And more than 95% of the beef, pork, and lamb are produced in facilities that voluntarily follow animal welfare standards.
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