For many consumers, the sustainability message has become increasingly important.
While Lori Taylor, founder and CEO of The Produce Moms BB #:366223 in Indianapolis, IN, agrees consumers want to buy products they consider “a force for good,” she says sustainability concerns are not a primary driver in the current landscape. “Value will be the top priority in 2023.”
That said, government and industry pushes are helping keep sustainability at the forefront.
“In California, there’s a lot of activity in both the public and private sectors to recover food, reduce food waste, divert organic waste from landfills, and address nutrition insecurity,” says Jin Ju Wilder, director of marketing and business development at Vesta Foodservice BB #:125924 in Los Angeles, CA.
One example is SB 1383, an organics-recycling law that came into effect in 2022, with the second phase to be implemented in 2024.
Retailers, investors, and other trading partners are also pushing produce suppliers to make their operations more environmentally and socially sustainable, often implementing reporting and audit requirements.
“I’m paying close attention to the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative benchmarking program being developed by the Consumer Goods Forum,” says Ed Treacy, vice president of supply chain and sustainability for the International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 in Newark, DE.
“This will have the same positive effect on sustainability audits that the Global Food Safety Initiative had on food safety audits.”
No place for plastics
When it comes to plastic, sustainability continues to drive many of the newest packaging innovations, domestically and abroad.
Plastic reduction is already mandated in some European countries and in Canada. Effective January 1, single-use plastic and foam are banned in Canada: plastic forks have been replaced with wood, containers have become paper or plant-based, and straws are now paper.
The United States has been slower to act, but Russell Reta, Southwest territory account manager for Giro Pack, Inc. BB #:189880, headquartered in Vidalia, GA, says, “We’re starting to see a push toward more plastic-free options.”
He says the plastic-free conversation began in earnest back in 2019, before Covid, and is getting back on track. “It also helps that when all the conversations were on hold, the materials were being perfected.”
Giro Pak has introduced cellulose net-and-film and net-and-tag bags. “We’ve had tremendous success in the European markets, and we’re looking forward to offering our full cellulose product line in the United States and Canada,” Reta says.
Matt Seeley, CEO for the Organic Produce Network, LLC BB #:338018 in Monterey, CA, is all for plastic reduction. “On both the retail and the grower-shipper end, our industry is a big user of plastic.”
The folks at Salinas, CA-based Markon Cooperative, Inc., {{BB #:123315}} agree: fully recyclable corrugated strawberry clamshells were introduced just before the pandemic.
“To date, we’ve averted nearly 150 tons of plastic from going into landfills and the ocean through this one product alone,” says Deena Ensworth, director of culinary innovations.
Berry marketer Naturipe BB #:116078 recently passed the 1-million-pound mark in reducing plastic with its Top Seal line and includes How2Recycle instructions on packages. Next up is recycling-friendly washaway labels on all its packs by 2025. The company is also using certified ocean-bound plastic where possible.
Ag Box Company BB #:154212 in Oceano, CA, is expanding its sustainable packaging, adding kraft clamshells and baskets.
“These items are newer and comparable to their plastic or molded fiber counterparts,” says Debra May, general manager. “They’re more expensive, but some of our small farmers have been asking for them. Their customers are looking for ways to reduce the amount of plastic in the environment.”
This is an excerpt from the cover story in the January/February 2023 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue. https://apps.bluebookservices.com/BBOS/LearningCenter/BP/January%202023/eBook/index.html
