Latest News From Sustainability

Soil genomics company catalogs more than 24M microorganisms
Soil genomics company catalogs more than 24M microorganisms

Biome Makers said it pairs artificial intelligence with its soil database to decode soil biology and provide growers with more actionable information.

The Best of SPS Marketing Awards nominations now open
The Best of SPS Marketing Awards nominations now open

Nominations for excellence in sustainability marketing are being accepted for The Best of SPS Marketing Awards through May 10, 2024. Winners will be announced live at the 2024 Sustainable Produce Summit.

Monterey Mushrooms introduces sustainable mushroom packaging
Monterey Mushrooms introduces sustainable mushroom packaging

The company is making a significant change to enhance the recyclability of its mushroom packaging by incorporating NIR sortable material in its rPET thermoformed tills.

How Equifruit nabs consumer, retail attention for its bananas
How Equifruit nabs consumer, retail attention for its bananas

Equifruit did not become a North American market leader for Fairtrade-certified bananas by being boringly conventional.

As the fresh produce supply chain pursues sustainability, industry says challenges remain
As the fresh produce supply chain pursues sustainability, industry says challenges remain

Growers, packaging companies and a grocer all weigh in on the current state of sustainability and its future role in the fresh produce industry.

Alliance for Sustainable Packaging for Foods says EU research neglects food safety, waste
Alliance for Sustainable Packaging for Foods says EU research neglects food safety, waste

The organization offered a position paper that highlights the relationship between packaging and food safety and food waste.

U.S., Mexican officials pledge to stop avocado shipments from illegal orchards
U.S., Mexican officials pledge to stop avocado shipments from illegal orchards

The U.S. and Mexico will work to stop imports of avocados from illegal orchards in Mexico, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a news conference with Michoacán Gov. Alfredo Ramirez.

Driscoll’s new video series highlights sustainability efforts
Driscoll’s new video series highlights sustainability efforts

Building on its One Family video series, the company will release a new mini-series focusing on its growing communities and the company’s values around sustainability.

Agrovision sets sights on sustainability, empowering communities
Agrovision sets sights on sustainability, empowering communities

Los Angeles-based Agrovision, a year-round supplier of berries and cherries, says it's on a mission to intertwine sustainable agribusiness with ecological preservation, societal empowerment and global health improvement.

Survey: Growers could add 10.5 million new cover crop acres
Survey: Growers could add 10.5 million new cover crop acres

The American Seed Trade Association surveyed participants of a USDA climate-smart program, and results show growers continue to plant cover crops across many commodities.

Continental Fresh to showcase Water For All awareness campaign at Southern Exposure
Continental Fresh to showcase Water For All awareness campaign at Southern Exposure

Continental Fresh plans to introduce its Water For All mangoes at the Southeast Produce Council's 2024 Southern Exposure, highlighting the company's PLU with Purpose campaign that supports clean-water initiatives.

Forum to explore sustainability in global banana supply chain
Forum to explore sustainability in global banana supply chain

From climate change to labor rights to gender equality, the World Banana Forum is set to explore key sustainability issues impacting the banana industry at the Fourth Global Conference of the World Banana Forum.

Better Earth launches e-commerce platform and expands staff
Better Earth launches e-commerce platform and expands staff

The Atlanta-based compostable packaging supplier says its new e-commerce store enables restaurant owners, caterers and eco-conscious consumers to quickly find and purchase compostable foodservice packaging products.

IFCO delivers record environmental savings during 2023
IFCO delivers record environmental savings during 2023

The provider of reusable packaging containers for fresh products, also awarded customers with sustainability certificates to highlight specific environmental savings achieved with IFCO.

Emissions data added to corrugated industry life-cycle assessment
Emissions data added to corrugated industry life-cycle assessment

Companies tracking environmental, social and governance, or ESG, performance can now find more information for the life-cycle assessment of corrugated packaging.

Chiquita pledges additional 10 years of protection to nature reserve
Chiquita pledges additional 10 years of protection to nature reserve

The Nogal Reserve in Costa Rica was established as a private wildlife refuge as the result of a joint effort between Chiquita and a portion of its clients, honoring the communities and land from which its bananas grow.

Brambles ranked second-most sustainable company
Brambles ranked second-most sustainable company

Atlanta-based Brambles has advanced one position to be ranked the second most sustainable company in the world by Corporate Knights in its 2024 Global 100 list.

CEA grower Hippo Harvest’s Series B round nets $21M
CEA grower Hippo Harvest’s Series B round nets $21M

The company says it will use the funding to scale its greenhouse operations and expand its product offerings into new categories of leafy greens.

Sipcam Agro expands availability of tool for disease control in grapes
Sipcam Agro expands availability of tool for disease control in grapes

The company’s new biofungicide, Mevalone, is now available to treat bunch rot and powdery mildew in California.

Natural Grocers releases 2023 ESG Report
Natural Grocers releases 2023 ESG Report

The family-operated specialty says the report highlights its continued support of regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices.

FMI weighs in on proposed food waste national strategy
FMI weighs in on proposed food waste national strategy

The food industry association's comments underscored addressing food loss and waste throughout the entire food supply chain and offered recommendations for consideration as three federal agencies finalize the strategy.

CEA growers talk opportunities, challenges for 2024
CEA growers talk opportunities, challenges for 2024

With a lot of turnover last year in controlled environment agriculture, growers see consumers' continued interest in fresh produce as a way to continue to grow market demand.

New system significantly reduces use of plastic film, company says
New system significantly reduces use of plastic film, company says

Germany-based Baumer hhs says it has introduced a system that will reduce the use of plastic film in palletizing.

How retail foodservice can navigate sustainability challenges
How retail foodservice can navigate sustainability challenges

The retail foodservice industry is grappling with waste challenges. From food waste to plastic pollution, the industry can take steps to address the environmental impact, says Savannah Seydel of Better Earth.

Cascades offers a sustainable packaging option
Cascades offers a sustainable packaging option

Made from up to 100% recycled fiber, the baskets with flaps offer produce growers a sustainable alternative to replace more hard-to-recycle packaging.

Assessment points to expanding, vital role of satellite-based water management tools 
Assessment points to expanding, vital role of satellite-based water management tools 

A study says water data platform OpenET shows considerable accuracy in measuring evapotranspiration, a key measure of water consumption in ag that has been difficult and expensive to monitor accurately at scale.

Masser Family of Companies reports on sustainability progress
Masser Family of Companies reports on sustainability progress

The Masser Family of Companies says it makes annual investments in sustainable practices that contribute to a reduced carbon footprint and integrated long-term efficiencies across all business segments.

McCain Foods releases 2023 global sustainability report
McCain Foods releases 2023 global sustainability report

McCain Foods says it is making progress with its regenerative agriculture sustainability goals.

Gotham Greens' newest greenhouse opens in metro Dallas
Gotham Greens' newest greenhouse opens in metro Dallas

Gotham Greens’ new 210,000-square-foot facility in Seagoville, Texas, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Dallas, is the company’s 13th greenhouse nationwide.

Tops sustainability practices run the spectrum
Tops sustainability practices run the spectrum

Tops Friendly Markets continues to make advances not only in its day-to-day efforts to adopt practices that help protect the environment, but also in efforts that will make a lifelong impact, the company says.

Emerald Packaging, D’Arrigo team up on sustainable packaging
Emerald Packaging, D’Arrigo team up on sustainable packaging

As consumer demand for sustainable packaging increases, companies like Emerald Packaging find innovative ways to meet the demand. 

Pomì unveils eco-friendly packaging
Pomì unveils eco-friendly packaging

The company says it has introduced a unified visual identity and eco-friendly packaging in a global refresh.

Purdue survey looks at consumer attitudes toward use-by labels
Purdue survey looks at consumer attitudes toward use-by labels

Consumers polled in December reported that food safety and taste are top concerns when eating past-date foods, according to the survey.

Canada aims to track plastic use in food and agriculture
Canada aims to track plastic use in food and agriculture

A government agency in Canada wants to establish a plastics registry to monitor and track plastic, including plastic used in agriculture and food manufacturing.

Organizations launch Alliance for Sustainable Packaging for Foods
Organizations launch Alliance for Sustainable Packaging for Foods

The alliance brings together global stakeholders to engage with regulators and governments around the world to encourage the adoption of a holistic and harmonized approach to food packaging regulation.

Aldi removes plastic bags, transitioning to natural refrigerants
Aldi removes plastic bags, transitioning to natural refrigerants

Aldi initiates positive impact by removing plastic shopping bags and sets goal to transition to natural refrigerants by the end of 2035.

Boots on the ground: How conservation steward Javier Zamora supports new farmers
Boots on the ground: How conservation steward Javier Zamora supports new farmers

Specialty crop growers, farm advocates and America's Conservation Ag Movement gathered at JSM Organics Farm in California in September 2023 for a bilingual field day to learn from conservation steward, Javier Zamora.

Villita Avocados to offer 100% plastic-free bags to U.S. retailers
Villita Avocados to offer 100% plastic-free bags to U.S. retailers

Villita Avocados said it is hopeful other produce companies will follow its lead by being more environmentally conscious and steer away from using plastic.

9 sustainability trends to watch in 2024
9 sustainability trends to watch in 2024

Sustainability experts share topics poised to make headlines in the year ahead.

Virginia Tech to tackle spring frosts in apples, controlled environment agriculture
Virginia Tech to tackle spring frosts in apples, controlled environment agriculture

The USDA has awarded the university and Virginia Cooperative Extension more than $550,000 to help strengthen specialty crop production in the state.

USDA offers $3M in funding for climate-smart production
USDA offers $3M in funding for climate-smart production

The funding is earmarked to educate small-scale, underserved and organic farmers on risk management and climate-smart practices.

New indoor vertical farming facility opens in Buffalo, N.Y.
New indoor vertical farming facility opens in Buffalo, N.Y.

The farm will grow hydroponic vegetables and herbs year-round and provide residents in the city access to fresh produce.

Growers spotlight top sustainability challenges to know for 2024
Growers spotlight top sustainability challenges to know for 2024

While most produce industry players recognize the benefits of operating sustainably, they also face numerous challenges in such efforts. Here's what growers and allied businesses recently told The Packer.

New app helps growers avoid leaving climate-smart funding on the table
New app helps growers avoid leaving climate-smart funding on the table

Farm Journal’s beta Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator tool seeks to match growers with Climate-Smart Commodities grants tailored to their operation.

Napa vineyard trials smart irrigation technology
Napa vineyard trials smart irrigation technology

Treasury Wine Estates deployed smart irrigation valves to help manage and automate water usage on 90 acres of its vineyards.

Year in Produce 2023: The great indoors
Year in Produce 2023: The great indoors

Ever-evolving, indoor agriculture made headlines throughout the year from bankruptcies to high-profile mergers and acquisitions to setbacks and triumphs.

Grant to help examine use of wastewater to produce fertilizers
Grant to help examine use of wastewater to produce fertilizers

New research looks to seek best ways to use wastewater to create biochar that retains nutrients and eliminates micropollutants.

Food-date labels cause confusion and food waste, report says
Food-date labels cause confusion and food waste, report says

The use of food-date labels such as “use-by” and “best if used by” causes consumer confusion that results in many shoppers discarding food that is safe to eat or donate, according to a Consumer Food Insights Report.

Most see rising use of RPCs in produce supply chain
Most see rising use of RPCs in produce supply chain

Nearly 3 out of 4 of those voting in a recent industry poll predicted the use of reusable plastic containers will rise in the next five years.

IFCO cites gains in ESG 2023 report
IFCO cites gains in ESG 2023 report

The document provides an extensive overview of the company's activities and achievements in three core areas — Thriving Business, Thriving Planet and Thriving Society — against the baseline year of 2020.