AUSTIN, Minn., Oct. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of
pizza lovers logged on with pizza in hand last month to help Hormel
Foods (NYSE:HRL), a global branded food company and the maker of
Hormel® pepperoni and numerous other consumer and
foodservice pizza topping brands, set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™
title for the most users in a pizza party video
hangout.
The virtual pizza party was part of Hormel Foods Spirit Week, a
celebration of the company's team members around the globe who have
worked to ensure a consistent food supply during the Covid-19
pandemic. In addition to Hormel® pepperoni,
Hormel Foods also makes a number of other consumer and foodservice
pizza toppings under its Columbus®, Natural
Choice®, Applegate®, Fontanini®,
Happy Little Plants®, Burke® and Swiss
American Sausage Co.™ brands.
More than 3,000 people joined the Zoom-hosted virtual party,
which featured a number of door prizes and special guests. To set
the record title, at least 500 photos of individuals (one photo per
Zoom username) with a full pizza pie or slice of pizza had to be
uploaded during the 1-hour event. The final tally and official
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title set during the party was 907
photos.
Along with setting the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title, Hormel
Foods made a donation of $10,000 to
Pizza vs. Pandemic, a joint program from Slice Out Hunger and
Slice, to support frontline healthcare workers by coordinating
large orders with independent pizzerias across the country.
Prior to the record-setting attempt, Hormel Foods surprised 10
Under 20 recipient, 17-year old Lucas
Hobbs, with a years' worth of pepperoni. Hobbs, upon
completion of his cancer treatment, partnered with Minnesota food trucks so he could give back to
his community and other kids battling cancer. Today, Hobbs owns and
operates the ChefLucasFood food truck which serves the needs of
families battling pediatric cancer by providing meals at no cost.
The pizza party was followed by a free, virtual concert staring
NBC's The Voice runner-up Chris
Kroeze.
"The world's largest virtual pizza party allowed us to create a
big impact with two simple gestures: hanging out and eating pizza,"
said Shane Ward,
Hormel® pepperoni brand manager. "It was a blast
to see so many people come together for the event, but more
importantly, to support independent pizzerias and the healthcare
workers who are working tirelessly during this pandemic to keep our
communities safe. And to top it off, we are now GUINNESS WORLD
RECORDS™ title holders."
"As a leading provider of pizza toppings for foodservice
operators across the country, helping our friends and pizzeria
owners during this unprecedented time was very special," said
Chad Randick, president of Burke
Corporation. "I can't think of a better way to help than having
thousands of people come together to enjoy a slice of pizza, set a
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title and give back to pizzeria owners and
frontline healthcare workers at the same time."
"It really warms the heart to see people gather together like
this even though we can't all be in the same place," said
Scott Wiener, party host and founder
of Slice Out Hunger and Scott's Pizza Tours in New York City. "Whether they were motivated by
the charitable aspect or the idea of participating in a GUINNESS
WORLD RECORDS™ title attempt, the number of people who participated
really blew me away."
"Any day you set a world record is an exciting one, but we're
particularly appreciative for the support of Hormel Foods for Pizza
vs. Pandemic," said Ilir Sala,
founder and CEO of Slice. "Their $10,000 donation to our program with Slice Out
Hunger will help feed nearly 3,000 front line care workers while
supporting dozens of small business pizzerias."
About Hormel Foods — Inspired People. Inspired
Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food
company with over $9 billion in
annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands
include SKIPPY®, SPAM®, Hormel® Natural
Choice®, Applegate®, Justin's®,
Wholly®, Hormel® Black
Label®, Columbus® and more than 30
other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500
Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on
the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list
by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one
of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has
appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best
Corporate Citizens" list for the 11th year in a
row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its
corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company
lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired
Food.™ — to bring some of the world's most trusted and
iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information,
visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.
Contact:
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Brian
Olson
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507-434-6352
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media@hormel.com
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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation