Del Monte Foods Reduces Food Waste to Nourish Communities and the Planet
Plant-Based Foods Leader Diverted 25+ Million Pounds of Food from Landfills Over the Past 24 Months Through Upcycling and Food Donations
Originally published on Del Monte Foods, Inc. News Room
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., February 9, 2022 /3BL Media/ – At Del Monte Foods, Inc., one of the ways we’re living our commitment to being Growers of Good™ is by reducing food waste to nourish communities and the planet. According to the USDA, food waste is estimated to represent 30-40 percent of the food supply each year, which has devastating consequences for people and the planet. Millions of people globally don't get enough food to eat each day, while rotting food in landfills is a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions. It's estimated that if 50–75 percent of food waste is reduced by 2050, up to 26 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided.
Through a cross-departmental task force, we’re constantly looking for ways to ensure food reaches its highest and best purpose – not going to waste. Over the past 24 months, we’ve diverted more than 25 million pounds of food from landfills through a focus on upcycling and food donations.
Upcycling
Upcycled food has emerged as one of the most effective approaches the food industry can use to reduce waste. At Del Monte, we’re proud to be leading this movement with the industry's first canned vegetable product to be Upcycled Certified by the Upcycled Food Association, the world's only third-party certification program for upcycled food ingredients and products. Through our Del Monte® Blue Lake® Petite Cut and Blue Lake® Farmhouse Cut Green Beans products, which are made with 100% upcycled and sustainably grown green beans from Wisconsin and Illinois, we re-directed approximately 600,000 pounds of surplus green beans in 2021 — helping to provide healthy and affordable food, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, over the past two years, we’ve diverted 10 million pounds of peach pieces through a partnership with Feeding America, ensuring nutritious peaches are provided to those facing food insecurity. More recently, we’ve begun repurposing syrup from our boba and pineapple product lines to use in our new line of Del Monte®Fruit Infusions cups. We’re also diverting apricot pits for use in beauty products and fruit pulp to be turned into juice. Our Del Monte Upcycling task force is constantly looking for more opportunities to expand upcycling efforts across our portfolio of brands.
"As Growers of Good, we’re committed to producing healthy food that nourishes people and our planet," said Greg Longstreet, President and CEO of Del Monte Foods. "Helping to lead the Upcycled Food movement with the industry's first canned vegetable product to be Upcycled Certified reflects our team's dedication to always ensuring that nutritious food reaches its highest purpose. We’re continuously focused on uncovering new opportunities to reduce waste.”
Food donations
No one should ever go without a meal, yet Feeding America estimates that 38 million people in America face hunger. To help those who don’t have enough to eat in communities across the country, Del Monte strives to donate 5 million pounds of food each year to communities in need through partnerships with Feeding America, Convoy of Hope, American Red Cross and other community-based non-profits.
Additionally, when disaster strikes, we work with our network of partners to offer food donations. Most recently, when tornados ripped through the Midwest, Del Monte quickly mobilized with Convoy of Hope to deliver more than 320,000 pounds of food to help those impacted by the devastating storms.
About Del Monte Foods
For more than 130 years, Del Monte Foods, Inc. has been driven by our mission to nourish families with earth's goodness. As the original plant-based food company, we're always innovating to make nutritious and delicious foods more accessible to consumers across our portfolio of beloved brands, including Del Monte®, Contadina®, College Inn®, S&W® and Joyba™. We believe that everyone deserves great tasting food they can feel good about, which is why we grow and produce our products using sustainable and earth-friendly practices for a healthier tomorrow.
Del Monte Foods, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Limited (Bloomberg: DELM SP, DELM PM) and is not affiliated with certain other Del Monte companies around the world, including Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., Del Monte Canada, or Del Monte Asia Pte. Ltd. For more information about Del Monte Foods and our products, please visit www.delmontefoods.com or www.delmonte.com.
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Edelman
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