How Tyson Foods are supporting diverse procurement
Supplier Diversity Programme
The company’s supplier diversity program provides economic opportunities for diverse suppliers by stimulating growth through spend and engagement with small and diverse suppliers. In 2022, they dedicated full-time resources to supplier diversity, with oversight from senior leadership to develop a stronger framework for this process.
Also, throughout the year, they Tyson procurement team:
• Began the intensive process of cleaning and classifying supplier data to understand supply chain makeup and inform growth strategies.
• Added requirements to internal procurement policy for good faith efforts and the inclusion of diverse suppliers when engaging in sourcing activities.
• Increased engagement with diverse supplier certification agencies.
• Started a monthly Diverse Supplier Spotlight Series.
What is the Tyson Supplier Inclusion Summit?
The supplier diversity team includes procurement team members and leaders, as well as representatives from Tyson DEI teams. In March 2022, their supplier diversity team began planning the Supplier Inclusion Summit, which took place on June 20, 2023.
The summit began with an evening reception hosted by Tyson leadership and included a full day of networking opportunities with company leadership, matchmaking between suppliers for enhanced partnerships, supplier enrichment sessions and a featured panel discussion with leaders from Tyson customers.
The summit provided the opportunity for impactful conversations on the importance of building and nurturing a diverse supply chain. The event supported efforts to build a robust supplier diversity program that is aligned with Tyson’s values while delivering on their core strategies of winning with customers, consumers and team members.
For small and diverse suppliers, the summit was a chance to learn about opportunities with Tyson and enrich strategic relationships with other suppliers. For non-diverse suppliers, the summit let them connect with diverse suppliers and Tyson stakeholders who may be able to support their needs. Their suppliers are encouraged to provide opportunities such as Tier 2 relationships that enable diverse suppliers to build capacity
Chicken
More than 3,700 independent farmers raise chickens for Tyson. The company provides the birds, feed and technical support, while the farmers care for the chickens by providing the farm, housing and labour.
Cattle
Tyson don't own or operate any feedlots, so they buy cattle from nearly 4,000 independent feeders and ranchers. They supply their beef plants in the US Midwest, South and Pacific Northwest.
Pigs
The company buys pigs from up to 2,000 independent farmers to supply their pork plants in the Corn Belt. The farmers are expected to raise hogs that meet their standards for high quality pork.
Tyson Foods, Inc. is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognised leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under four generations of family leadership, the Company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable and affordable to meet customers’ needs worldwide and raise the world’s expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the Company had approximately 142,000 team members on October 1, 2022.
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Other magazines that may be of interest - Supply Chain Magazine | Sustainability Magazine
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