Organic, sustainable produce go hand in hand

Produce typically is associated with sustainability — organic produce even more so.

“Our customers have a general awareness that organic agriculture is innately more sustainable,” said Bridget Kennedy, director of sales and grower relations for New Sprout Organic Farms, Asheville, N.C.
Organic growers, for example, practice crop rotation and apply amendments that will not hurt the land or harm the health of workers, she said.

CEO Olivia Wong believes that Miami-based Fullei Fresh has an advantage when it comes to the public perception of sustainability and her company, which specializes in growing sprouts.

“We feel, since sprouts are grown indoors hydroponically, there is already quite a bit of information out there about how sustainable the growing methods are,” she said.

“Many traditional farming practices are not used here.”

Although produce buyers are aware of the importance of sustainability, the extent to which they encourage suppliers to apply those principles varies.

Chelan, Wash.-based Chelan Fresh has discussions and receives questions about “the broad topic of sustainability” from customers, said Kevin Stennes, organic sales manager. But no one has asked the company to adopt any specific sustainable practices.

Stennes does have some thoughts on the subject, though.

“I believe the lower the input level, the higher the sustainability,” he said.

“The goal is to strike a balance between minimal inputs and maximum quality and eating experience,” Stennes said.

“The fewest inputs possible results in the least environmental impact while also reducing costs, resulting in environmental and financial sustainability.” 

Buyer opinions are across the board when it comes to sustainability, said Chris Elmer, vice president of sales for Doral, Fla.-based Alpine Fresh Inc.

“Every customer has a position on sustainability,” he said.

That creates a challenge for grower-shippers and distributors, he said, since 10 different customers may want 10 different things when it comes to sustainability.

“You’ve got to try to find one or two things that everyone is good with,” he said.

Many retailers have established their own sustainability goals and encourage their suppliers to join in those efforts, said Brianna Shales, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers Inc., Wenatchee, Wash.
“This is something we monitor and integrate into our goals, especially as they relate to social responsibility, packaging reduction or increased recyclability in packaging, and pollinator health,” she said.

Stemilt reports to customers frequently on its sustainability and social responsibility efforts, either through auditing processes, surveys or in other ways, Shales said.

Right now, most retail customers of Oxnard, Calif.-based Boskovich Farms Inc. are simply asking the company to monitor and understand a baseline of materials the company uses in order to understand where there are areas for improvement, said George Boskovich III, CEO of fresh prep.

Grower-shippers agree that the biggest challenge to sustainability may be produce packaging.

“Plastic is best for shelf life and quality,” Wong said, “but is frowned upon for not being biodegradable.”

Fullei Fresh has looked at plant-based, biodegradable "plastic," which is made of plants but looks and feels like plastic, she said.

“At the moment, the cost is prohibitive, and (the packages) do not have vented containers, which are needed for optimal shelf life and quality.”

Everyone has a different position on packaging, Elmer said, and some of those proposals can be costly.
“It’s an important piece, but I’m not sure, as an industry, we’ve found the overall accepted thing,” he said. “That still has some ways to evolve.”

Kennedy said she, too, views packaging as a major concern in discussions about sustainability.

“We really try to avoid as much packaging as we can and try to consider alternative packaging that is more sustainable and more recyclable,” she said.

Boskovich Farms considers itself to be at the forefront of the sustainable movement with Fair Earth Farms, the company’s newest line of organic salad kits and blends that are packaged in fully compostable bags, Boskovich said.

“It has been clear that sustainable packaging will play a critical role in the future of produce and our first step was with the fully compostable packaging of Fair Earth Farms,” he said.

“It was designed specifically to address the growing issue of plastic packaging in landfill taking centuries to compost, and it is a key element to our overall sustainability program.”