As an American Meat Institute (AMI) member, Seaboard Foods uses AMI resources every day to extend our own expertise and knowledge. This has helped our company to achieve our goal of providing our domestic and international customers with products known for unsurpassed quality control and food safety.

AMI membership benefits, such as worker-safety and food-safety training, can be witnessed throughout our day-to-day operations. In fact, our excellent food-safety and work-safety records stem from resources and training provided through our AMI membership. Access to this type of information has allowed Seaboard Foods to build food-safety, worker-safety and animal-welfare programs that our domestic and international customers respect.

Aside from the value of the excellent educational programs, our company places great value on AMI’s ability to manage industry issues that continue to evolve and escalate. The knowledgeable and effective AMI staff carries our industry messages to key legislators, regulators and media every day. But more importantly, AMI provides opportunities for our employees to interact with key influencers to ensure our positions are heard and understood. That’s something that, by itself, Seaboard Foods would have difficulty achieving.

We value the quick updates about legislation, regulation and media activity that impacts our industry and the tools provided by AMI that allow our employees to take action, such as the “Take Action” function on the AMI Web site that sends messages about industry issues to members of Congress.

Because of AMI’s professional staff, we are confident the meat and poultry industry’s voice is heard by legislators, regulators and media. We are fortunate to have a well-respected and talented AMI staff to carry this charge. The staff is extremely responsive to any issues that we have brought to it. Furthermore, we appreciate the effectiveness that the AMI staff has in coordinating certain issues with other industry trade associations.

Because we believe in AMI’s effectiveness, Seaboard’s involvement in the organization has grown since becoming a member in 1998. Our employees have served as officers and executive committee members and on the board of directors. We also have employees participate in committees such as human resources, environmental affairs and public affairs. Our involvement allows us to network and share ideas that will benefit both our company and the entire industry.

Our industry faces many challenges and opportunities, and as industry-impacting issues — such as food safety and immigration — continue to escalate and evolve, we need a strong and effective organization to collectively lead our industry in the right direction. As a member, Seaboard Foods is proud to have the American Meat Institute serve that role.