Sustainability & Stewardship:
Our-never ending commitment

• Top-of-the-Line Genetics
  
• Multi-Site Pork Production
  
• Proprietary Nutrition
  
• Residue-Free Pork
  
• Animal Handling
  
• State-of-the-Art Processing
  
• Food Safety
  
• Product Packaging
  
• Employee Training
  
• Customer Service 
  
• Consumer-Driven Products

Top-of-the-Line Genetics
Our concern for pork quality begins even before conception. Our internal genetic experts constantly conduct in-depth research and maintain the strictest control of genetics. This emphasis on science results in consistent tenderness and flavor in our pork.


Multi-Site Production
As part of our multi-site production system, Seaboard Foods strategically selects farm sites to optimize management, health and nutrition, which ultimately leads to higher-quality pork products. The segregation of our genetic farms, farrowing units, nursery locations and finishing sites in tandem with our comprehensive biosecurity program protects pigs from disease transmission and greatly reduces the need for wide-spread antibiotic use.

Proprietary Nutrition
Feeding pigs from our proprietary nutrition system is another way to ensure the finest pork available. Controlled feed manufacturing facilities produce grain-based proprietary rations designed by post-graduate degreed nutritionists. These rations maximize nutrition at every stage of the animal's growth while optimizing pork color, texture and flavor.

Our nutritionists have developed a special vitamin/ mineral pack to create nutrient-rich pork for consumers that also improves shelf life, moisture-holding capacity and color.

Residue-Free Pork
We take our promise of residue-free pork very seriously and achieve it through a variety of practices. Our Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus certified farm managers ensure proper animal health practices, including careful documentation and use of animal medications.

Withdrawal periods exceed industry standards and government regulations—ensuring 100 percent antibiotic residue-free pork. But better yet, a combination of healthy diets and better animal health throughout the production process results in a system less dependent on animal medications.

Animal Handling
Treating our animals humanely is a moral and ethical obligation everyone at Seaboard Foods takes seriously. We use the most humane practices throughout the animal's life. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it's scientifically proven to provide better pork quality.
Our fresh pork processing plants are USDA Process Verified for animal handling. This process includes ongoing daily animal handling plant audits and employee training. Third-party audits of our farms and processing plants ensure the most advanced, science-based animal handling practices throughout the entire system. A minimum two-hour rest period, as well as our humane CO2 stunning system at the processing plant is an essential step in reducing stress and PSE.

State-of-the-Art Processing

Attribute	Ave. Score
Has delicious, high-quality pork	6.54
Has products that look and taste the same every time	6.15
Delivers the same trim specs every time	6.04
Delivers the same product size every time	6.04

We achieve unsurpassed quality control and food safety with state-of-the-art processing at our production plants. We've created an integrated system of manual and automatic processes perfectly balanced to ensure product consistency. Lasers guide our cutting processes for concise product cuts. Automatic loin and butt pulling meets product specifications time after time. And, our shell boning process eliminates bone chips, reduces purge and increases shelf life. We also use state-of-the-art technology as part of our USDA Process Verified program. We can trace fresh pork products from our plants to source farms using unique serial numbers on each box.

In an annual customer satisfaction survey, Seaboard Foods asks customers to rate product quality on a 7-point scale, with 7 being excellent. Source: 2007 Seaboard Foods Customer Satisfaction Research

Quick chill technology reduces temperatures quickly and creates an optimum pH and extended shelf life, while enhancing meat color and texture. Our use of this practice is USDA Process Verified.

Food Safety
Ultimate food safety is a top priority and our strict HACCP protocols and practices exceed all government and industry standards. Our food safety practices begin long before processes in our plants. We implemented needle-free vaccination and treatments to eliminate the risk of needle fragments in pork.

Scientifically proven high pressure hot water wash cabinets significantly reduce microbial activity adding to shelf life. The mean level of aerobic plate counts on pork carcasses is lower than the USDA FSIS national baseline by more than 90 percent.

A combination of food safety technology and more than 50 quality assurance inspectors review product quality throughout the plants to ensure food safety from beginning to end.

In our on-site laboratories, we perform continuous shelf-life testing on our pork products to further ensure safety. Our further processed products go through microbial testing before we release the products for sale to ensure wholesomeness.

Product Packaging
Package testing and selection of the best mil strength helps eliminate package leaks. The best-suited box strength eliminates crushing, protects product and ensures employee safety.

Employee Training
Our employees receive thorough training in pork quality from humane handling to food safety. We conduct monthly training sessions to keep employees up-to-date on the latest industry information and food safety issues. Each line employee is trained and empowered to stop the line when necessary to protect food safety.

Customer Service & Delivery
We commit to unsurpassed customer service. We promise the assistance of our professional sales representatives, access to top management, and regular in-market visits to help our customers build their pork business.

Consumer-Driven Products
The Seaboard Foods Quality Circle ends where it begins with the end consumer in mind. We develop our product lines on what's important to today's domestic and international consumers.