The North American Meat Institute’s Board of Directors this week adopted new vision, mission and values statements during the Meat Industry Summit in Carlsbad, Calif. The Meat Institute in 2018 convened a working group composed of association members, led by a facilitator, to develop the new, forward-looking vision and mission statements and core organizational values.

“The Meat Institute’s adoption of new vision, mission and values statements reflects our members’ recognition of the profound responsibility we have to our employees, communities and consumers,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “With these new statements and guiding values, we, as an organization and as an industry, commit to redouble our efforts to improve collaboration, build and maintain alliances across the food and agriculture sectors and leverage the resulting networks to communicate with consumers in credible, transparent ways.”

The Meat Institute’s new vision statement commits the association and its members to “Sustainably nourishing local and global communities with wholesome meat and poultry.” Meanwhile, the organization’s new mission statement – “Connecting people and resources to strengthen trust in the food we produce”— reflects, and provides a roadmap to achieving, this aspirational vision.

The organization’s values, adopted by the Board, center around “stewardship,” “community” and “collaboration.” Stewardship reinforces the Meat Institute’s commitment to be a reliable resource to its members, by encouraging and supporting continuous improvement, and committing, ethically, to do what is right for people, animals and the environment. The Institute’s values reflect its support for the community of individuals who process meat and poultry, its embrace of diversity in every facet and its support for families across the globe.

The Meat Institute’s values also convey the organization’s focus on proactive engagement to build relationships across the food system, its emphasis on providing valuable information to all meat and poultry processors and its commitment to valuing diverse perspectives by listening to all who are interested in the meat and poultry industry.

“I look forward to working with the Meat Institute’s Board of Directors, and its entire membership, to respond to key industry priorities and work collaboratively to advance our common interests and achieve our shared goals,” said Potts. “In so doing, the industry will be better positioned to proactively and consistently communicate with consumers to maintain trust in our products and production practices.”

The Meat Institute’s Board of Directors is comprised of industry leaders representing the organization’s packer, processor and supplier member companies.

Source: North American Meat Institute