Smithfield Foods Inc. has again been named to FORTUNE magazine's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Admired Companies, this time ranking second among all food production companies. Smithfield Foods moved up eight positions from its 10th-place ranking in 2012, reflecting its continued progress as a sustainability leader in the global packaged meats space.

FORTUNE describes its annual list of World's Most Admired Companies as a "definitive report card" on corporate reputations. FORTUNE asks executives, directors and analysts to rate companies in their own industries on nine areas of reputation criteria including: ability to attract and retain talented people, quality of management, social responsibility to the community and the environment, innovativeness, quality of products or services, wise use of corporate assets, financial soundness, long-term investment value and effectiveness in doing business globally.

To qualify, a company's score must rank in the top half of its industry survey. Then, survey respondents are asked to select the 10 companies they admire most in each category.

"Our advancement on the FORTUNE list from tenth to second place is incredibly meaningful to us as a company and speaks to the hard work of our staff. Our employees go to work every day focused and dedicated to moving Smithfield Foods forward and their efforts have not gone unnoticed," said C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer for Smithfield Foods.

Source: Smithfield Foods Inc.