Heinz 2009 CSR Report Highlights Global Sustainability Initiative and Other Programs as Company Achieves Significant Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Solid Waste, Energy Use and Water Consumpti

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H.J. Heinz Company HNZ today published its 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which highlights the Company’s significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste, energy use and water consumption under a global sustainability initiative that is on track to deliver its goal of a 20% reduction in each of the categories by 2015.

The new online CSR Report at http://www.heinz.com/csr2009/ highlights the Company’s progress toward achieving global sustainability goals that it announced in May 2008. By the end of Fiscal Year 2009, Heinz achieved the following results (compared with the benchmark year of 2005) by implementing a wide range of sustainability initiatives at its operations on six continents.

• 13.4% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per metric ton of production globally
• 27.4% global reduction in solid waste per 100 metric tons of production globally
• 15.8% decrease in energy use per metric ton of production globally
• 15.7% global reduction in water consumption per metric ton of production globally

“Heinz is pleased to report today that we are well on the way to meeting our sustainability goals for 2015. We have achieved significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and water consumption and surpassed our goal of a 20% reduction in solid waste,” said William R. Johnson, Heinz Chairman, President and CEO. “Through this global initiative and other programs that are highlighted in our CSR Report, Heinz is demonstrating that we are a socially responsible company dedicated to the sustainable health of people and the planet.”

Heinz’s ongoing sustainability initiatives include packaging innovations and the increased use of recycled material to reduce solid waste, enhancing energy efficiency and lowering emissions through new technology, equipment and processes, conserving water at its operations and utilizing sustainable agriculture techniques where Heinz tomatoes are grown.

Other sustainability projects in various phases of development at Heinz include increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing its carbon footprint from agriculture and lowering fuel consumption related to transportation.

Heinz also has implemented programs to encourage its nearly 33,000 employees to set voluntary personal sustainability goals on the job, such as turning off lights or computers or drinking water from a reusable container, to make a difference for the planet, one person at a time.

The 2009 CSR report reflects Heinz’s commitment to sustainability, transparency and accountability to the community and shareholders. It provides comprehensive facts and data on Heinz’s Economic, Environmental and Social achievements and performance, as well as videos, photos and links to informative Heinz documents. The report also enables visitors to create customized PDFs of information from the site.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

The CSR report also highlights the fact that Heinz, one of the world’s largest users of processed tomatoes, maintains a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture and traceability through its Global Agriculture Program and its proprietary HeinzSeed program, which supplies approximately six billion all-natural hybrid tomato seeds each year to growers in more than 30 countries. The naturally bred hybrid tomato seed from Heinz increases crop yields and reduces water consumption. Heinz also works closely with growers to implement sustainability initiatives, particularly irrigation methods that help conserve water.

In the area of Social Responsibility, the report highlights the growing global reach of the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign, a groundbreaking program that is combating the health problem of iron-deficiency anemia and malnutrition among infants and children in developing nations. The campaign has helped nearly three million children in 15 countries, including China and India, by providing nutritional supplements that are sprinkled on foods such as rice.

Since 2005, Heinz has produced a CSR Report every two years. This is the Company’s first paperless CSR report, another step in its focus on sustainability.

Heinz is proud to be included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, the Calvert Social Index and the Domini 400 Social Index, which track the financial performance of companies that demonstrate excellence in their attention to and management of environmental, social and governance issues.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Statements about future growth, profitability, costs, expectations, plans, or objectives included in this release are forward-looking statements based on management’s estimates, assumptions, and projections. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which may be beyond the Company’s control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this release and the financial statements and footnotes. Uncertainties contained in such statements include, but are not limited to:

• sales, earnings, and volume growth,
• general economic, political, and industry conditions, including those that could impact consumer spending,
• competitive conditions, which affect, among other things, customer preferences and the pricing of products, production, and energy costs,
• competition from lower-priced private label brands,
• increases in the cost and restrictions on the availability of raw materials including agricultural commodities and packaging materials, the ability to increase product prices in response, and the impact on profitability,
• the ability to identify and anticipate and respond through innovation to consumer trends,
• the need for product recalls,
• the ability to maintain favorable supplier and customer relationships, and the financial viability of those suppliers and customers,
• currency valuations and interest rate fluctuations,
• changes in credit ratings, leverage, and economic conditions, and the impact of these factors on our cost of borrowing and access to capital markets,
• our ability to effectuate our strategy, which includes our continued evaluation of potential acquisition opportunities, including strategic acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures and other initiatives, including our ability to identify, finance and complete these initiatives, and our ability to realize anticipated benefits from them,
• the ability to successfully complete cost reduction programs and increase productivity,
• the ability to effectively integrate acquired businesses
• new products, packaging innovations, and product mix,
• the effectiveness of advertising, marketing, and promotional programs,
• supply chain efficiency,
• cash flow initiatives,
• risks inherent in litigation, including tax litigation,
• the ability to further penetrate and grow and the risk of doing business in international markets, economic or political instability in those markets, particularly in Venezuela, and the performance of business in hyperinflationary environments,
• changes in estimates in critical accounting judgments and changes in laws and regulations, including tax laws,
• the success of tax planning strategies,
• the possibility of increased pension expense and contributions and other people-related costs,
• the potential adverse impact of natural disasters, such as flooding and crop failures,
• the ability to implement new information systems and potential disruptions due to failures in technology systems,
• with regard to dividends, dividends must be declared by the Board of Directors and will be subject to certain legal requirements being met at the time of declaration, as well as our Board’s view of our anticipated cash needs, and
• other factors as described in “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Relevant to Forward-Looking Information” in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 29, 2009.

The forward-looking statements are and will be based on management’s then current views and assumptions regarding future events and speak only as of their dates. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by the securities laws.

ABOUT HEINZ: H.J. Heinz Company, offering “Good Food Every Day”™ is one of the world’s leading marketers and producers of healthy, convenient and affordable foods specializing in ketchup, sauces, meals, soups, snacks and infant nutrition. Heinz provides superior quality, taste and nutrition for all eating occasions whether in the home, restaurants, the office or “on-the-go.” Heinz is a global family of leading branded products, including Heinz® Ketchup, sauces, soups, beans, pasta and infant foods (representing over one third of Heinz’s total sales), Ore-Ida® potato products, Weight Watchers® Smart Ones® entrees, T.G.I. Friday’s® snacks, and Plasmon infant nutrition. Heinz is famous for its iconic brands on six continents, showcased by Heinz® Ketchup, The World’s Favorite Ketchup®.

H.J. Heinz Company
Media:
Michael Mullen, 412-456-5751
Michael.mullen@us.hjheinz.com
or
Investors:
Margaret Nollen, 412-456-1048

Copyright 2009 Business Wire

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