North Portland employees have been encouraged to submit food waste solutions for the brand to pilot
Fresh Del Monte has looked inwards in a bid to challenge the problem of food waste.
In an effort to reduce its contribution, Del Monte challenged its employees to come up with a solution.
Over a six-month period, a food waste employee engagement programme was conducted at the company’s North Portland, Oregon manufacturing plant.
This programme encouraged employees to ideate and submit food waste solutions the brand could then identify and pilot, creating an opportunity to upcycle byproducts that usually end up as food waste.
Del Monte noted that, out of 197 ideas submitted by employees, the three chosen ideas required a new process for receiving fresh produce and a change of inspection location.
This allowed the group to successfully turn 53.2 per cent of its cantaloupe, honeydew, mango, pineapple and watermelon waste into almost 5,000 additional six-ounce fresh fruit containers over a seven-week trial period.
Beyond the reduction in food waste, the employee engagement programme also resulted in 87 per cent of employees at Del Monte’s North Portland plant receiving food waste educational training by watching the food waste video in person at the plant.
In addition, 75 per cent of plant employees submitted food waste reduction ideas, Del Monte outlined.
