On Water and Wastewater
We recognize that we use a considerable amount of water in our processes, and Hormel Foods is committed to reducing our impact on water systems. Our strategy for wastewater involves upgrading our pretreatment equipment, collaborating with city officials to solve common issues and improving communications to help stakeholders understand our position.
Plants implement checks to ensure water is shut off during breaks, between shifts and routinely monitor for unnecessary water use. Plants have installed flow-restriction devices on equipment and replaced equipment with water-efficient units.
Wastewater Impact
To reduce wastewater impact, all of our plants are taking steps to identify projects and measure our emissions into the surrounding water sources. We operate one full-treatment plant and 29 pre-treatment plants in the United States. In other cases, we partner with the cities in which we operate to meet and exceed wastewater standards. Before wastewater is sent to a city treatment plant or is discharged into a waterway, wastewater from our facilities is always treated so it meets government-approved levels. Our pretreatment systems are mechanical separators that remove oil, grease and suspended solids. Some plants have chemical systems to supplement the mechanical equipment.
View our 2008 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report to learn about our initiatives to reduce our water consumption.