Nov 15 2011 --- H.J. Heinz  Company in its 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility Report disclosed the Company’s progress toward achieving global sustainability goals that it announced in May 2008.

In the report, Heinz Chairman, President and CEO William R. Johnson states, “Heinz is on track to achieve or surpass our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions , solid landfill waste, energy consumption and water consumption by at least 20% each by Fiscal Year 2015. Our Global Sustainability Process is driving continuous improvement in these four key environmental areas that are strategic priorities for the Company.”

Since the baseline year of 2005, Heinz has achieved the following cumulative reductions through Fiscal Year 2011, which ended on April 27:

•    45.6% global reduction in solid waste per 100 metric tons of production globally
•    21.8% global reduction in water consumption per metric ton of production globally
•    13.2% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per metric ton of production globally
•    15.1% decrease in energy consumption per metric ton of production globally

Other sustainability projects underway at Heinz are focused on reducing packaging, cutting carbon emissions from agriculture, lowering fuel consumption related to transportation and increasing the use of renewable energy.

The comprehensive online report at http://www.heinz.com/CSR2011 reflects Heinz’s commitment to transparency and accountability by reporting progress across all environmental, social and economic sustainability platforms.

Heinz announced a groundbreaking partnership in 2011 that enables us to manufacture fully recyclable ketchup bottles using The Coca-Cola Company's PlantBottle technology. Up to 30% of the PlantBottle packaging material comes from a renewable source – plants – unlike traditional plastic bottles made from non-renewable fossil fuels.

In the area of social responsibility, the global reach of the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign expanded to Africa and Haiti for the first time. This innovative non-profit program has led to the treatment and prevention of iron-deficiency anemia in children in developing countries through partnerships that distribute micronutrient powders that provide essential vitamins and minerals to children when stirred into food. The Heinz Micronutrient Campaign has assisted 3.5 million children in 15 developing nations and plans to expand to the United States.

Reflecting the success of the Heinz Global Agriculture Program and its focus on sustainable agricultural methods such as drip irrigation, the tomato crop yield of growers producing for the Company increased 9%, exceeding the goal of 5%. The Company’s team of tomato experts travels the globe to teach farmers how to grow tomatoes more efficiently and sustainably. At the same time, growers are using natural HeinzSeed, which produces higher-yield tomato plants that are also more disease resistant, reducing the use of water and pesticides.