Parker Migliorini International
| Legal status | Company |
|---|---|
| Location |
|
| Services | Meat brokerage |
Key people | Darin Parker (CEO)[1] |
| Website | pmifoods |
Parker Migliorini International (PMI Foods) is a multinational food brokerage company founded in 2009 through the merger of Parker International and Meridonial Meat Import & Export Ltd.[2] The company is currently headed by Darin Parker.[2]
History
[edit]Parker International was founded in 1992 in Salt Lake City, Utah.[3] It established a strategic international partnership with Meridional Meat Import & Export Ltd, a company formed in 1995 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.[4]
Parker International merged with the Migliorini family’s enterprise to form Parker Migliorini International (PMI Foods).[3] The merged entity became a global enterprise with an annual trade volume exceeding 1.6 billion pounds (approximately 725.7 million kilograms) of beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and eggs, generating around US$3 billion in revenues.[5]
After the merger, PMI Foods employed about 400 staff members in China and around 110 in the United States, with additional employees in 12 sourcing offices worldwide. The company sources protein from multiple regions, including North America, Australia, and Uruguay, to meet China’s regulatory requirements and ensure supply diversity.[2]
As of 2024, PMI Foods has over 30 years of international market experience, operates in more than 60 countries, and employs over 800 staff worldwide.[3]
In 2024, PMI Foods received the International Business of the Year award at the One Utah Summit, from Governor Spencer Cox.[6]
Charity endeavors and community involvement
[edit]PMI Foods engages in various philanthropic activities, focusing on food security, education, and community support. The company has partnered with organizations such as New Life Church, Los Angeles Mission, and CityServe to provide food donations and address food insecurity.[7][8]
During the Russo-Ukrainian War, PMI Foods provided 34,000 cans of shelf-stable food to Ukrainian refugees.[9]
Controversies
[edit]In 2012, PMI Foods was accused by the FBI of illegally exporting meat to China and Japan. Two years later, a company related to PMI Foods pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of lying to the government about its meat exportations and paid a $1 billion fine.[10][11]
An investigation conducted by the Associated Press and the Rainforest Investigation Network in 2023 reported that PMI Foods imported $1.7 billion worth of Brazilian beef to China and other countries in the preceding ten years. The investigation stated that the imported beef was supplied by JBS S.A., a Brazilian meat processing company that Brazilian prosecutors have repeatedly accused of buying cattle raised in deforested land.[12][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "PMI Foods to donate 100,000 meals to Ukrainian refugees". New Food Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ a b c Barry, Doug (2022-09-12). "Utah-Based Meat Distributor Deepens China Distribution Chain". The US-China Business Council. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ a b c "PMI Foods". PMI Foods. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ Miller, Derek (2018-01-10). "PMI Foods blazes trail into the Chinese beef market". Utah Business. Utah Media Partners. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ a b Chavkin, Sasha (2023-11-03). "How an American meat broker is fueling Amazon deforestation". WHEC.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "2024 One Utah Summit". Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "PMI Foods Donates More than 10,000 Pounds of Meat to Fight Food Insecurity". PR Newswire. AP. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "PMI Foods Gives Easter Donation of 15,000 Pounds of Prime Rib to New Life Church in Arkansas". PR Newswire. 2024-03-28. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "PMI Foods teams up with CityServe International, donates 100,000 meals to displaced Ukrainian refugees". Provisioner Online. 2022. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "FOX 13 Investigates: How a Utah worker became an FBI informant against a beef exporter". FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU). 2021-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ Seiden, Daniel (2023). "Parker-Migliorini Whistleblower's Retaliation Win Will Stand". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ Chavkin, Sasha (2023). "Takeaways from AP's reporting on an American beef trader's links to Amazon deforestation". The Washington Post.