Cargill China Wins U.S. State Department Award for Corporate Excellence

"We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the development of the Chinese economy and society," Cargill Chief Executive Officer Greg Page said in receiving the award.

07/11/08 Cargill China received the U.S. Secretary of State's prestigious 2008 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE). At a ceremony attended by Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong and other dignitaries, Under Secretary Reuben Jeffery commended Cargill for exemplary leadership in corporate responsibility to promote rural development in China.

Through effective public-private partnerships, Cargill helps to increase farm, crop and livestock productivity and prevent the spread of animal disease. Cargill's work also fosters environmental stewardship, promotes rural education, contributes to disaster relief, implements innovative food safety training and demonstrates active volunteerism in China.

The State Department initiated ACE in 1999 to recognize leadership in corporate social responsibility by U.S. companies around the world. Each year, one large and one small company are honored. Cargill China was chosen in the large company category from more than 60 nominations submitted by American ambassadors worldwide.

"We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the development of the Chinese economy and society," Cargill Chief Executive Officer Greg Page said in receiving the award. "We recognize that our continued success is dependent upon the growth and health of our communities and partners, as well as the vitality and conservation of our natural resources. For Cargill, corporate responsibility is a process of continually improving our standards, our actions and our practices. It is a company-wide commitment to work in and with our communities to tackle complex economic, environmental and social challenges wherever we do business."

Cargill, with its global agricultural and food expertise, is in a unique position to help address some of the key challenges and needs of China in promoting sustainable rural development. The company partners with local governments and development agencies to ensure the effective implementation of corporate responsibility programs and projects. Key highlights of Cargill's engagement in China include:

• Training more than 2 million Chinese farmers by sharing world-class crop nutrition, animal breeding and feeding technologies to increase productivity and animal health.

• Co-operating with China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) to establish a joint food safety management-training program.

• Launching the "Cargill Cares Rural Education Program" in cooperation with the China Children and Teenagers' Foundation to renovate over 40 schools in rural areas; in 2008 the program will directly benefit 10,000 children.

• Enabling employee volunteering with 31 employee-led Cargill Cares Councils in 19 provinces. Over the past five years Cargill China employees contributed over 24,000 hours to community projects.

• Donating US$ 1.1 million for relief and rebuilding efforts to help the victims of the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province.

Joining the Washington, D.C. ceremony by videoconference from Beijing were Clark T. Randt, American Ambassador to China, Cargill China Cares Council Members and Cargill's partners in China. Cargill China President Norwell Coquillard said: "The whole Cargill China team has put a lot of effort into citizenship activities over the past years. We all are very proud that our work is recognized at the highest level. The real winners, of course, are the local communities we work with every day to help pave the way for a better future."