Sustainability Insights

Consumers and Retailers Want Sustainable Produce Packaging

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:52:58 GMT

Sustainable packaging for fresh produce is intensely important for both consumers and retailers, according to data gathered by The Packer.

In The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 survey , nearly 4 out of 5 consumer respondents (79%) reported that sustainable packaging in fresh produce was important, very important or extremely important to them. Similarly, in The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2026 survey , over half of respondents said the sustainability of fresh produce packaging impacts their purchasing decision in some way: sometimes (30%), usually (16%) or always (8%).

Consumers also claim they are willing to pay for produce in sustainable packaging. Depending on specific packaging traits, 68% to 72% of Sustainability Insights’ consumer respondents said they were willing to pay more for produce in sustainable packaging. In general, more consumer respondents reported a willingness to pay more for produce in bio-based packaging (72%) than for produce in recycled or recyclable packaging (both at 68%).

Willingness to pay more for sustainable packaging differed greatly by age, however, with younger respondents more frequently indicating they would than did older respondents. For example, only 10% of respondents in the youngest age group of 18-24 said they would not pay more for produce packaged in compostable materials. This compares to 47% of respondents aged 65 or older.

Similarly, a higher rate of younger respondents reported they were willing to spend more for fresh produce packaged in sustainable materials. To use the same example, 40% of respondents aged 18-24 indicated they would be willing to spend up to 10% more for produce packaged in compostable materials. Another 40% said they would be willing to spend up to 15% more. This compares to 44% and 5%, respectively, for respondents aged 65 or older.

Retailers on Sustainable Produce Packaging

It’s not just consumers who see big value in sustainable produce packaging. Retailers who participated in the Sustainability Insights survey also ranked sustainable packaging as important to the overall sustainability of the fresh produce supply chain and their business.

Of retail respondents, 93% ranked recyclable packaging as important (24%), very important (33%) or extremely important (36%) to their overall sustainability, making it the top-ranked item. Other forms of sustainable packaging also ranked high for retailers. Biodegradable packaging came in at No. 2 with 92% of respondents ranking it at some level of importance. Compostable packaging came in at No. 4, with 86% of respondents indicating importance.

When asked what they mean by “sustainable packaging,” two-thirds of retailers said both “biodegradable” and “recyclable.” Slightly over half (54%) of retail respondents defined sustainable as “made from post-recycled materials,” and 52% defined it as “compostable.”

Retailer respondents appear to be increasingly convinced of consumers’ willingness to spend more for produce in sustainable packaging. In the 2025 survey, only 18% of retail respondents reported they thought consumers would not pay more for sustainable packaging. This is down from 28% in 2024 and 41% in 2023.

Retailer respondents also overwhelmingly said the cost of sustainable produce packaging should be borne by supply chain members other than the consumer.

In 2025, 77% of retailer respondents answered the question “How should the cost of sustainable packaging be shared across the supply chain?” with “A combination of growers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and processors.” Only 5% of respondents said that cost should rest solely on the consumer.

Consumer Perceptions on Packaging Sustainability

Consumers agree that they are not the primary party responsible for the overall sustainability of their produce, with only 10% of respondents saying consumers are the most responsible. However, one reason why sustainable packaging might be so important to them is that it is an area where they feel they have some control over the produce sustainability question.

While respondents overwhelmingly reported seeing food companies, governments and growers as primarily responsible for the sustainability of fresh produce, 44% of respondents said they choose produce in eco-friendly packaging when possible. This was the highest response rate for any option to the question, “What are you personally doing, or would you like to do, to pursue a sustainable lifestyle?”

Interestingly, sustainable packaging also impacted how consumers viewed the produce in the package. Almost two-thirds (60%) of consumer respondents to Sustainability Insights said eco-friendly packaging is the No. 1 identifier of sustainable produce. In the 2025 report, sustainable packaging beat out even organic certification (59%), regenerative growing practices (46%) and local (45%) as an indication of sustainable produce.

Consumers Want Sustainable Packaging and Companies are Making it Happen

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:06:53 GMT

“Sustainable packaging” can have various meanings to different people. Though this offers a challenge, packaging companies are trying to meet consumer and retailer demands while also looking forward to the fruits of innovation.

To be clear: Sustainable produce packaging is important to consumers and retailers. Really, really important.

For example, 79% of consumer respondents to The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 survey said sustainable packaging in fresh produce was important, very important or extremely important to them. Purchasing produce with eco-friendly packaging was also the most commonly selected answer among respondents to the question, “What are you personally doing, or would you like to do, to pursue a sustainable lifestyle?”

Similarly, 93% of retail respondents ranked recyclable packaging as the most important item to their business in terms of its ability to impact the sustainability of the supply chain. Biodegradable packaging came in at No. 2, with 92% of respondents ranking it at some level of importance. Compostable packaging was No. 4, with 86% of respondents indicating importance.

So, the value placed on sustainable packaging is clear. What isn’t is what sustainable packaging even means.

For example, when asked what sustainable packaging in fresh produce means to them, 29% of consumer respondents said it needs to be recyclable, 28% said bio-based, 26% said made from recycled materials and 14% said compostable. However, almost half of respondents (49%) said sustainable packaging needs to include all of those traits.

This all-of-the-above answer would only practically be met today by specific types of uncoated molded fiber and paperboard packaging. While this packaging segment is growing , it is not (yet) suitable for all types of produce and applications.

Meeting Today’s Sustainability Demands

Despite the uncertainty over definitions, companies are trying to deliver on what consumers want and what the companies themselves see as sustainable produce packaging.

“‘Sustainable’ gets thrown around so much that it has come close to signifying nothing,” says Kevin Kelly, CEO of Emerald Packaging. In his perspective, many companies focus on mono-material packaging in pursuit of sustainable since such packaging can, theoretically, be recycled. For him, however, sustainable packaging means packaging that is compostable or uses post-consumer recycled, or PCR, materials.

“That’s why we’ve joined the U.S. Flexible Film Initiative,” he adds, explaining that the effort seeks to make recycling flexible plastic packaging — widely used in fresh produce — economically viable and part of the circular economy just like other forms of plastic.

“Essentially, we’re subsidizing recyclers to reclaim plastics and make a profit,” he continues. “If we succeed, we hope the groups running extended producer responsibility programs like the Circular Action Alliance will step in and, with the funds they’ve collected, take the project over and expand it.”

Kelly also says Emerald Packaging is also experimenting with paper-based packaging that can be recycled or composted. There are challenges there, since work must be done around maintaining oxygen transmission rate and moisture vapor transmission, but he says the company is “teaming with folks we think can help us.”

For Orbis Corp., a reusable packaging products subsidiary of the North American supply-chain packaging company Menasha Corp., the best definition of sustainable packaging in fresh produce is “packaging that minimizes environmental impact across its entire life cycle,” says James Riegleman, senior product manager. When it comes to fresh produce, the company is answering this definition with a focus on reusable plastic totes and pallets that are eventually collected and recycled.

“According to the Reusable Packaging Association, the long service life of reusable packaging reduces environmental impact by enabling circularity, keeping packaging assets in active use for many years and ultimately recycling them into new products rather than sending them to the solid waste stream,” Riegleman says.

The company has its own recycling program to try to ensure this last element in the circular sustainability cycle happens.

“When our reusable totes and pallets reach the end of their service life, Orbis offers our Recycle with Orbis program where we recover, recycle and reprocess totes and bins into other useful products,” Riegleman says. “These programs offer our customers financial credit when recycling end-of-life products.”

TIPA Compostable Packaging is also focusing on the end of life of plastic packaging from a composting perspective.

Gary Tee, vice president of global converting for TIPA, notes the growth of consumer-level food composting services is a positive for sustainability. However, produce stickers were among the three most common contaminants for compost facilities.

“Because composting plants cannot remove them from their operations, these plastic-based stickers will eventually be spread on farmland,” he says. TIPA is trying to answer this problem with compostable produce stickers. It’s an easy solution, according to Tee.

“When consumers discard leftovers from their fresh produce, the PLU sticker adhered to the skin of the fruit or vegetable can be easily overlooked,” he explains. “If this sticker is made from certified compostable materials rather than non-compostable plastic, the plastic contamination challenge that compost operators face is removed at once.”

Future Fruits of Innovation

There is much to be excited about in the sustainable produce packaging space, according to sources. For example, while Kelly calls PCR materials a sustainable solution companies can lean into today, he looks forward to the results of ongoing materials innovation.

“I’m super excited about the technology developing in the compostable space, including the enthusiasm and commitment of the people driving the sector, who trend young and smart,” he says. “There are real interesting projects out there, like the seaweed-based material developed by Sway, and some companies with a bit more scale that can absorb demand right away.”

Kelly isn’t alone in eagerly anticipating new materials. Rebecca Marquez, director of custom research for the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI), says that is one of three major developments the group finds encouraging.

“We are keeping an eye on the breadth of materials and active-packaging innovation, particularly solutions focused on extending shelf life and reducing food waste, as demonstrated by [USDA’s Assisting Specialty Crop Exports]-funded projects,” she says.

Both Marquez and Riegleman are also excited about what the growth of automation upstream in the supply chain might mean for expanded use of reusable packaging. Marquez describes what amounts to a positive feedback loop between reusable packaging systems and automation, saying reusable packaging systems “open the door to integrated sensors and data collection because the packaging asset is used repeatedly.”

Marquez adds that the “significant momentum around data and software tools” is encouraging to PMMI.

“As supply chains become more connected, the challenge is no longer data availability, but instead, making that data actionable — something we believe will be transformational for sustainability decision-making, among other important decisions,” she says.

From Stigma to Selling Point: The Future of GMOs in Produce

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 13:21:19 GMT

The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 survey of growers, retailers and consumers found when it comes to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or bioengineered produce, while the majority of growers indicate they’re ready to embrace them, consumers are more hesitant.

Sustainability Insights surveyed approximately 500 consumers on their fresh produce purchases and perception of GMOs. When asked: Do you consciously avoid buying products that are genetically modified? Sixty-five percent said yes, and 35% said no. When those who indicated avoiding GMOs were asked what their primary concern was in consuming a genetically modified fruit or vegetable, “chemicals” was the most frequently used word.

Nathan Pumplin, CEO of Norfolk Healthy Produce, the company behind the Empress Purple Tomato, a bioengineered tomato “packed with antioxidants,” says confusion is still holding some consumers back.

“On the consumer side, I think there is still confusion about what a GMO is,” he says. “Asking about a generic GMO is much different than asking about a specific product like a Pinkglow pineapple, Arctic Apples or the Empress Purple Tomato” — all of which are bioengineered.

“When you ask consumers, do you consciously avoid buying products that are genetically modified, I’m not surprised at all that 65% of them say yes. I might expect that number to be even higher,” he says. “But I also would be really interested to then look at their purchase behavior and what they bought over the last month or two in the grocery store. What percentage of them bought foods that have genetically modified ingredients? The answer would be over 95%.

“We also know there is a strong say-do gap between how people answer survey questions and what their eating and purchase behavior is,” he adds.

USDA estimates that up to 80% of all processed foods contain GMOs or GMO derivatives. Given that, Pumplin says unless consumers are buying organic exclusively, they’re already consuming bioengineered food from center store.

“GMOs are purchased way more than non-GMOs, if you look at food in general,” he says. “So, it’s a strange way that we’ve framed GMOs within produce.”

Pumplin says the reason there are fewer GMOs in produce than center store is twofold.

“One, it’s difficult and costly to develop new produce varieties, and the prize wasn’t there,” he explains. “So, the companies that were developing GMOs said, ‘Okay, we’re going for corn, we’re going for soy because other crops don’t make enough money, and it costs us a lot of money to develop them.’”

Pumplin says the second challenge is there haven’t been many GMO products in produce that are differentiated in the eyes of the consumer.

“It’s kind of the chicken or the egg,” he says. “People are not going to develop GMO produce items if there’s not a market for it, and there’s not going to be a market for it if people aren’t developing new products.”

Pumplin says that’s the cycle Norfolk is trying to break with the purple tomato.

“We had to be extremely frugal, extremely cost conscious, as we brought the product to market,” he says. “We had to do it step by step, engaging more and more consumers and heavily engaging with the supply chain all the way along to demonstrate that it’s worthwhile getting out to market.”

Growers Are More Receptive

Another key to breaking the chicken or the egg cycle, Pumplin says, is to offer growers more innovative bioengineered solutions in produce that are disease resistant, use fewer resources to grow and offer more flavor, nutrients and other benefits.

Sustainability Insights surveyed nearly 75 growers, revealing 54% of growers consider GMOs a sustainable solution. And while 80% said they do not currently offer a GMO product, 54% said they would consider a GMO product in the future.

The survey, fielded June and July 2025, included growers across the continental U.S., with 1,324 average acres farmed per respondent and over two-thirds of farmers surveyed over the age of 45.

“It’s interesting the disconnect with growers, where 54% are open to growing a GMO product but currently only 20% offer a biotech product,” Pumplin says. “This suggests that growers don’t yet have enough products and opportunities offered that meet their needs. Meeting that demand is a primary driver for our company.”

Premium Perception

Pumplin was on the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee a couple years ago, when the group gathered in Washington, D.C.

“There was a presentation from the organic certification group, and their big thing was: How do we catch cheaters? Organic is a premium label, and we need to make sure that everything that has an organic label really is organic,” Pumplin recalls. “Then bioengineering came up and [the presenter] said here’s the rules about bioengineering, and here’s how we make sure that anything that is bioengineered has the label on it.

“I raised my hand and said there’s kind of an interesting contrast here,” he continues. “So, what if I have a product that’s not bioengineered, and I put the bioengineered label on it? Will I get in trouble? She laughed and said: ‘Why would anyone ever do that?’ Like that’s the craziest thing. It just shows you that the thinking has been that organic is a premium and bioengineered is a warning.”

The Norfolk Healthy Produce CEO says he’s convinced that’s about to change.

At last month’s International Fresh Produce Association Global Produce and Floral Show in Anaheim, Calif., The Packer spoke with Pumplin at the Red Sun Farms booth where he was sampling the Empress Purple Tomato.

“It’s been nonstop people coming to the booth to sample the purple tomato,” Pumplin said. “It’s received so much attention, and not a single person has said: ‘This is a GMO, I’m not trying it.’ This is our fourth IFPA. The first year we heard: ‘I don’t know. Is it OK?’ Now they’re asking where they can buy purple tomatoes.”

Pumplin says the quantity of purple tomatoes the company brought to IFPA for sampling would usually have lasted two days, but this year they were gone in less than a day.

“I guarantee within five years from now people are going to be competing for developing the new leading GMO produce items once it’s clear that the supply chain will accept them,” he says. “And the supply chain will accept them because the vast majority of consumers want these products.

“I also fully believe that within a few years, bioengineering will be seen as a premium label, and people will reach for bioengineered the same way that they go to organic because it fits their value system,” he adds.

Positive Messaging

Today’s produce consumer is constantly changing and evolving, and Pumplin says it’s time for the industry to change as well.

“In the produce industry, so much of what we do is what we’ve done in the past, and we don’t really want to change it,” he says. “It’s just not possible anymore for the industry to be so — I don’t want to say stuck in the past — but just resistant to innovation, because the customers have moved on, and the industry has not.”

At this intersection of innovation and education, there’s opportunity.

“There haven’t been scientists telling positive stories about GMOs in a way that’s relatable to people,” Pumplin says. “It’s just been a massive gap. We need more engagement, and that message needs to get through to every produce consumer.”

Your next read:
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Growers, Retailers, Consumers Share Top Sustainability Priorities

Growers Double Down on Sustainability as Key to Profitability

Consumers Say They Want Sustainable Packaging and Are Willing to Pay for it, but Growers Aren’t Convinced

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 22:29:24 GMT

Sustainability Insights 2025, The Packer’s annual survey of growers, retailers and consumers, reveals that while sustainability resonates across all three groups, when it comes to packaging, perspectives differ.

Designed by Prime46 Research and Consulting and Farm Journal’s Intelligence Division, the survey fielded in June and July finds sustainable packaging rose to the top of the priority list for both retailers and consumers, but growers are more skeptical about the ROI on sustainable packaging solutions.

The Sustainability Insights 2025 grower survey gathered insights from 74 growers, packers and shippers — the majority of whom identified as decision-making owners — on their perceptions and opinions related to sustainability in fresh produce production, packaging, food waste and labeling practices. The survey included growers across the continental U.S., with 1,324 average acres farmed per respondent and over two-thirds of farmers surveyed over the age of 45.

Sustainability Insights 2025 found that biodegradable, recyclable and protective packaging continue to define the key attributes of sustainable packaging for growers. What’s more, the attributes cited by specialty crop growers that make effective and sustainable packaging remain relatively stable and consistent year over year.

Though growers recognize the key role of sustainable packaging for fresh produce, less than half see a return on the grocery shelf for these sustainable packaging efforts.

Just under half of growers say the decision they make to provide sustainable packaging is appreciated by the consumer, up slightly from only 43% in 2024. Only 43% of surveyed growers think that using sustainable packaging increases the price you get for produce. Additionally, only 41% of growers say they have sustainable packaging options that are affordable, and only 35% say they have an adequate number of sustainable packaging options to choose from.

Big picture, growers cite much lower numbers for how much consumers are willing to pay for sustainable packaging than the consumers themselves. While only 13% of growers say they are willing to pay for sustainable packaging, 35% of consumers report a willingness to pay for sustainable packaging.

Unpacking Consumers’ Sustainability Desires

Meanwhile the Sustainability Insights consumer survey of nearly 500 U.S. consumers — who share or do most of their household grocery shopping — finds that sustainable packaging might be the most powerful tool grower-packer-shippers and retailers have in engaging sustainability-minded consumers.

“The most surprising takeaway from the survey was that consumers across all income levels place essentially the same level of importance on packaging materials used as criteria for produce selection,” says Colin Clarke, vice president and director of research for the Fargo, N.D.-based Prime46. “On average, 46.5% of consumers always or usually factor packaging materials in their decision-making.

“In looking at both ends of the income level spectrum, 43% of consumers under $25,000 in annual household income and 44% of consumers above $100,000 in annual income always or usually factor packaging materials in their decision-making,” he continues. “I anticipated more variance across income levels, but it appears packaging materials used is a factor for all consumers.”

Sustainability Insights 2025 further found that on average 55% of consumers say it is extremely or very important that fresh produce comes in sustainable packaging, and the level of importance increases as the consumer audience gets younger, with 54% of Gen X saying it is extremely or very important, 57% of older millennials, 65% of younger millennials and 68% of Gen Z saying it is extremely or very important.

Download the full Sustainability Insights 2025 report here.

How to Speak Consumers’ Sustainability Love Language

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 23:23:03 GMT

While sustainability resonates across all produce shopper demographics, The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 finds that sustainable packaging might be the most powerful tool grower-packer-shippers and retailers have in engaging sustainability-minded consumers.

Fielded in June 2025, nearly 500 U.S. consumers — who share or do most of their household grocery shopping — completed the Sustainability Insights 2025 survey designed by Prime46 Research and Consulting and Farm Journal’s Intelligence Division.

“The most surprising takeaway from the survey was that consumers across all income levels place essentially the same level of importance on packaging materials used as criteria for produce selection,” says Colin Clarke, vice president and director of research for the Fargo, N.D.-based Prime46. “On average, 46.5% of consumers always or usually factor packaging materials in their decision-making.”

“The most surprising takeaway from the survey was that consumers across all income levels place essentially the same level of importance on packaging materials used as criteria for produce selection,” says Colin Clarke, vice president and director of research for the Fargo, N.D.-based Prime46.

(Graphic by Debbie McShane)

“In looking at both ends of the income level spectrum, 43% of consumers under $25,000 in annual household income and 44% of consumers above $100,000 in annual income always or usually factor packaging materials in their decision-making,” he continues. “I anticipated more variance across income levels, but it appears packaging materials used is a factor for all consumers.”

Sustainability Insights 2025 further found that on average 55% of consumers say it is extremely or very important that fresh produce comes in sustainable packaging, and the level of importance increases as the consumer audience gets younger, with 54% of Gen X saying it is extremely or very important, 57% of older millennials, 65% of younger millennials and 68% of Gen Z saying it is extremely or very important.

Growers surveyed in Sustainability Insights 2025 underestimate consumer willingness to pay for sustainable packaging. While 35% of consumers say they will pay upward of 11% more for sustainable packaging, growers think only 13% of consumers will pay that much more.

Eco-friendly packaging was also the No. 1 product feature that helps consumers identify a product as sustainable, with 60% of consumers surveyed indicating so. When consumers were asked what they are personally doing to pursue a sustainable lifestyle, choosing products in eco-friendly packaging was No. 1, with 44% indicating that’s one way they live a sustainable lifestyle.

When it comes to the type of sustainable packaging consumers prefer, bio-based ranked high.

(Graphic by Debbie McShane)

When it comes to the type of sustainable packaging preferred, the survey found that consumers have the greatest preference for bio-based packaging materials over recyclable, compostable or recycled packaging materials.

And they’re willing to pay more for it. The percentage of consumers indicating they are willing to pay upward of 15% more for bio-based packaging is up significantly from 10% in 2024 to 18% in 2025. While this is more prominent among age groups under 45 years old, even those aged 45 or older are showing more willingness to pay for bio-based packaging.

Sustainability Resonates With Younger Consumers Most

As with The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2025 report, Sustainability Insights 2025 reveals differentiators in fresh produce including sustainability, organic, environmentally friendly and more are resonating across generations — especially with younger consumers.

Sustainability Insights found that while 66% of consumers indicate sustainability is extremely or very important in their produce buying decisions, and 94% place some importance on sustainability, it is particularly important to those under age 45 and more so among those aged 18 to 24, 88% of whom indicated it was a priority in their produce purchase.

Clarke says it isn’t surprising that sustainability is resonating most with younger consumers and, as this group ages, sustainability will continue to gain importance with produce shoppers.

“Sustainability as a topic is something that has been part of day-to-day life for younger generations,” he says. “A hyperconnected world, social media, news at an instant and the expansion of mobile video as a method of communication has increased awareness of environmental causes among younger consumers.”

“They are active consumers, but [they] also want to be responsible consumers, and one way they can participate is in their purchasing choices,” he continues. “And as the young consumers move up into older age groups, they will carry that increased importance of sustainability with them.”

What sustainability terms resonate most with today’s shoppers? Sustainability Insights 2025 finds that eco-friendly, organic, regenerative farming, local and transparency of the product journey, are the leading product features consumers associate with sustainability.

“Sustainability” means a variety of things to consumers.

(Graphic by Debbie McShane)

Food Waste is Top Concern

Surveyed consumers said they view sustainability as many things, including: environment, freshness, health/nutrition, economic viability, organic, local, renewable, availability, waste reduction and energy use. However, food waste was the top reported concern associated with a sustainable food supply, followed by a desire to improve human health, and climate change.

When asked how important a brand’s commitment to reducing food waste is to their fresh produce purchase, consumers placed the highest importance on this effort, with 71% of consumers saying reducing food waste was extremely or very important.

“I think there are two key factors at play driving food waste concern,” Clarke says. “The first is awareness and consciousness about waste continues to increase. Younger generations have grown up with recycling and waste awareness as part of their culture. There was no shift in habits that had to take place like it did with older generations. Awareness is inherent in younger populations.”

“The second key factor is food cost and inflation and the significant impact it has had on budgets over the past two to three years,” he adds. “When you pay more for the food in your home you don’t want to see any of it go to waste, so consumers are being more conscious of what and how much food they buy and how to make best use of it.”

Consumers surveyed in Sustainability Insights 2025 also indicated they are increasingly changing their purchasing habits in favor of sustainability and taking additional actions to reduce waste compared to the 2024 survey’s results.

Forty-four percent said they choose eco-friendly packaging (recyclable, biodegradable, etc.); 41% said they are acting to avoid disposable plastic products; about one-third or 37% of consumers indicated they purchase from brands that seek to reduce food waste; 65% of consumers said they try to recycle both at home and away from home; 48% said they try to buy food with recyclable packaging and 36% said they buy food in bulk to avoid too much packaging.

Reducing food waste is the leading reason consumers opt for a sustainable purchase.

(Graphic by Debbie McShane)

Younger Consumers Eye Climate Change

Sustainability Insights 2025 found that younger age groups place more importance on addressing climate change, with 76% of those aged 18 to 24 saying this effort is extremely or very important; 66% of those aged 25 to 34; and 58% of those aged 35 to 44 indicate this is a priority. That declines with older age groups, as 53% of those aged 45 to 54 and 44% of those aged 65 or older said addressing climate change is important.

With younger generations more concerned about climate change and supporting brands that address it, suppliers and retailers would do well to communicate their efforts.

“Climate change has largely become one of the most prominent reasons for sustainability efforts,” Clarke says. “When we asked consumers where they look for sustainability information, they indicated that product packaging was most important followed by grower websites. This ran true across all age generations.”

“When we looked at Gen Z and younger millennials specifically, social media, news media and in-store signage all clustered together following product packaging and grower websites,” Clarke continues. “Grocery retailer’s website ranked lowest as an information source among younger consumers.”

Investing in Locally Grown, Organic

When Sustainability Insights asked consumers to indicate the sustainability practices they were most willing to pay more for, local topped the list.

“Locally grown is the sustainability practice consumers are most willing to pay more for, with 83% of consumers saying they will pay more for locally grown produce,” Clarke says. “Younger millennials echoed this sentiment, with 92% saying locally grown is the sustainability practice they are most willing to pay more for. Among
Gen Z sentiment shifts a little, with 92% saying they would be most willing to pay more for organic produce, followed by 87% of Gen Z’s saying they would pay more for locally grown.”

While favored by younger shoppers, locally grown produce resonates across all demographics, ranking first or second across all age groups as the sustainability practice for which consumers are most willing to pay more.

Sustainable Opportunities

With many consumer respondents to the Sustainability Insights 2025 survey having said they are increasingly changing purchases and habits in favor of sustainability, how can produce suppliers and retailers better appeal to sustainability-minded consumers?

“Consumers tell us that choosing eco-friendly packaging is the top action they personally take to pursue a sustainable lifestyle,” Clarke explains. “Consumers consider bio-based, recyclable, compostable and recycled materials
as all being sustainable packaging, but they now rank bio-based as their top choice for sustainable packaging.

“More use of bio-based packaging and communications around its use will be well accepted by consumers and most beneficial to the fresh produce industry,” he adds. “Additionally, consumers are looking for more locally grown and organic produce from their grocery stores. Retailers would be well advised to place more emphasis on promoting locally grown and organic products in their stores.”

Consumers indicated they are willing to pay more for food grown via sustainable practices: 83% said they will pay more for locally grown, 80% will pay more for regenerative farming or for organic, 77% will pay more for climate smart and 76% said they will pay more for non-GMO or fair trade certified.

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Retailers Drive to Pursue Sustainability With a Purpose

Download the report here.

Retailers Driven to Pursue Sustainability With a Purpose

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:25:26 GMT

The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 survey paints a nuanced picture of grocery retailers’ commitment to sustainability — showing solid engagement and placing high value on sustainability with a focus on meeting consumer needs and environmental consciousness.

Retailers reported sustainability as a high priority within their strategy and financial decisions, with 98% of respondents saying sustainability is either important, very important or extremely important.

When asked to choose the top three reasons they implement sustainable practices, retailers most often pointed to reducing food waste (54%), meeting customer priorities (43%), being “the responsible thing to do” (42%) and improving human health (28%). Legislative requirements rank far lower than in previous years, down from 19% in 2024 to 7% in 2025, possibly suggesting sustainability is increasingly driven by business and consumer considerations.

Despite these motivations, only one-quarter of retailers have set public goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and of the 75% of respondents indicating they have no plans, only 15% said they plan to create them in the future. Similarly, the vast majority of retailers are not engaged with carbon credits (8% of respondents said they have purchased carbon credits), nor do they expect to in the future (82%).

Sustainability Insights 2025 shows consumers are primary driver of demand for sustainable produce.

(Graphic: Debbie McShane)

Nearly two-thirds (60%) of retailers surveyed indicate the cost associated with the change as a challenge, up from 47% in 2024. Sustainability can mean many different things to different people, from environment to food quality to logistics to economics and beyond.

Defining sustainability varies between retailers and consumers, but there are some parallels. Environmental impact ranked highest among retailers (29%) and consumers (23%). Both retailers (12%, third) and consumers (14%, second) ranked freshness and shelf life high among the 12 categories in the survey. Waste reduction/packaging (13%) also ranked high for retailers.
Retailers are seeing consumer interest in sustainability with nearly three-fourths of retailers (70%) reporting having seen an increased demand for sustainably grown or responsibly sourced produce in the last one to two years.

The top challenges retailers said they face in adopting new sustainable practices include costs to implement (60%), labor and talent (40%), time (35%), data/impact measurement (33%) and the hassle to implement (29%).

Nearly half (45%) of survey respondents implemented a new sustainable practice within the last year. Among the new practices implemented were: waste reduction and composting (43%), sustainable packaging (19%) and local/organic/regenerative sourcing (19%).

To communicate sustainability messages, over one-third (36%) of surveyed retailers use social media as their primary communication method regarding their sustainability efforts, while 34% of surveyed retailers primarily use in-store signage. Other methods used include websites, printed reports and circulars.

Sustainability Insights 2025

(Graphic: Debbie McShane)

Packaging Priorities and Perceptions

Packaging continues to be one of the most visible and measurable ways for retailers to advance sustainability.

Sustainable packaging ranks highest in importance in ability to impact sustainability within the supply chain with recyclable (69%), biodegradable (65%) and compostable (61%) packaging scoring highest as extremely/very important. Biological inputs and reducing carbon emissions also ranked high for at least half of the respondents.

When it comes to cost-sharing, retailers see sustainability as a collective responsibility, with 77% reporting everyone should share the cost of sustainable packaging, up seven percentage points from the 2024 survey. Regarding price sharing, more than half of retailers surveyed (56%) believe grocers are very/somewhat likely to accept a small price increase for sustainable packaging; only 19% of retailers surveyed are skeptical (very/somewhat unlikely) of grocers’ willingness to accept such a price increase.

Sustainability Insights 2025 survey results show that 63% of retailers think they are at least somewhat fairly compensated for the extra costs incurred from sustainable practices; 20% of respondents think they are fairly compensated, and another 43% think they are somewhat fairly compensated.

Retailers estimate most consumers are willing to pay at least a little more for sustainable packaging — 82% in 2025 compared to 72% in 2024 — but they tend to underestimate how much more certain shopper segments, especially younger demographics, are willing to pay.

Retail challenges to implementing sustainable practices in Sustainability Insights 2025.

(Graphic: Debbie McShane)

Surveyed consumers show higher willingness to absorb larger price increases than retailers anticipate, suggesting a potential gap in pricing and marketing strategies.

In defining sustainable packaging, biodegradable and recyclable, both at 66%, continue to be the most highly recognized as sustainable packaging, with biodegradables rising one percentage point from the 2024 survey and recyclables rising eight percentage points. Made from post-recycled materials (54%, up from 42%), compostable (52%, up from 37%) and protective packaging (49%, up from 30%) all rose significantly in recognition from the 2024 survey.
In general, surveyed retailers continue to recognize all listed types of packaging as sustainable to some extent.

Food Waste Action — With Room to Grow

Retailers report strong efforts toward reducing food waste, and almost half have taken on a new sustainability practice in the past year.

Food waste reduction remains one of the strongest sustainability motivators for retailers. In 2025, 86% report donating food that would otherwise be wasted (84% in 2024). Nearly half (49%, up from 35% in 2024) partner with vendors who repurpose food and a similar proportion (48%) redirects surplus to in-store foodservice programs. However, only 8% currently partner with food waste reduction apps — suggesting an untapped potential for technology solutions.

Nearly half of respondents (48%) have set food waste reduction goals, down from 56% in 2024, but only a small share are using measurable, numeric targets to track progress (such as aiming for a specific percentage reduction year-over-year). The majority (28%) focus on process and inventory optimization rather than hard benchmarks, pointing to an opportunity for more concrete accountability measures.

Access Sustainability Insights 2025 here .

Growers Double Down on Sustainability as Key to Profitability

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 11:45:07 GMT

The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 survey of growers underscores that U.S. growers still consider on-farm sustainability efforts fundamental to their operation’s long-term business strategy and economic success.

The foundation of sustainability is to “not just survive but thrive,” according one respondent.

“My decision-making takes into account long-term operations, make sure success is long-term and it is self-sustaining to allow future generations the opportunity to continue, and using as many aspects of integrated pest management as possible, and to keep improving the operation and land so ecosystem services can aid in long-term business and worker viability,” the grower wrote, reflecting an operation-spanning view of sustainability held by many 2025 respondents, that accounts for a range of on-farm decisions and factors, not limited to growing practices alone.

In a year with novel challenges in fresh produce supply chain, growers, packers and shippers in the survey confirmed they haven’t abandoned sustainability goals, still opting to prioritize conservation and regenerative growing practices.

Sustainability Insights 2025 taps into how growers define sustainability.

(Graphic: Debbie McShane)

At the same time, growers squared their desire “to be a better steward of the land” with parallel priorities such as ensuring their operation’s long-term viability, economic sustainability, successful marketing strategy and financial success when making decisions on sustainability efforts and regenerative growing practices.

Interestingly, layered in growers’ understanding of sustainability, survey respondents linked regenerative agriculture as central to sustainable growing practices. Regenerative agriculture practices that ranked the highest in the 2025 survey of growers included minimizing soil erosion, improving nutrient use and applying precision inputs. Water use was also cited as a key priority and, while biodiversity lagged in regenerative priorities, 62% of respondents cited crop rotation as an important practice.

Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage

“In the 2025 growing season, growers know that markets, tariffs and weather shifts can change overnight,” says Stella Brownlee, Trust In Food’s sustainable commodities technical manager. “Those growers who make regenerative agriculture and land stewardship part of their playbook aren’t just surviving those changes, they’re guiding their own path.”

Growers weigh in on tariff concerns in Sustainability Insights 2025.

(Graphic: Debbie McShane)

Trust In Food is a social-purpose initiative of Farm Journal, The Packer’s parent company, working to accelerate the transition to more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. As a soil scientist and Driscoll research alum, today Brownlee supports U.S. growers across the southern Atlantic with Trust In Food’s Connected Ag Project. She views incorporating sustainable growing practices as a savvy business decision that helps growers improve their operation’s economic sustainability while bolstering long-term viability.

“In a year when everything feels like a moving target, the smartest move is to double-down on what you can control: building stronger land through regenerative and precision agriculture,” she says. “That’s not just sustainability, that’s farming for profitability, now and for years to come.”

Survey respondents echo that, with 74% citing sustainability as very or extremely important when considering business strategy or financial decisions.

According to the growers surveyed, not only is sustainability viewed as a strategic advantage, but increasingly, it also helps market fresh produce.

While about half of surveyed growers thought consumers consider sustainability an important factor in making purchasing decisions, 38% of growers said that sustainable farming “improves the marketability of my products to retail consumers/consumer demand.”

The 2025 results mark a 26-percentage-point increase from the 2024 survey of growers, in which only 12% linked sustainable farming with improved marketability and consumer demand.

Alongside Economic Sustainability, Environmental Impact Remains Primary Driver

When asked what sustainability means to them, 32% of growers ranked economic and long-term viability the highest consideration, compared with just 9% of consumers. Environmental impact was ranked as a secondary consideration by 19% of growers and 23% of consumers surveyed.

Sustainability Insights 2025 reveals why growers prioritize sustainability.

(Graphic: Debbie McShane)

However, while growers view sustainability as a necessary and wise business strategy, the core motivator for growers to implement sustainable farming practices still comes down to the growers’ impacts on the planet.

The top three reasons growers say motivate them to implement and practice sustainable growing practices include:

• “Be a better steward of the land and the planet.”

• “I feel it is the responsible thing to do.”

• “Improve water quality and/or use water more efficiently.”

Conversely, only 8% of growers cite motivations for farming sustainably because it “is a priority for my retail customers.” Only 5% of surveyed growers say they are motivated to farm sustainability to “address climate change” and 4% cite a desire to “reduce carbon emissions.”

Bottom line, in 2025 growers are weighing everyday decisions about sustainable and regenerative growing practices — such as minimizing soil erosion, water conservation, crop rotation and precision inputs — by considering both the land management and financial sustainability of the operation.

Notable Wild Cards Added to Challenges in 2025

One of the underlying contributors for the twin focus on economic and environmental sustainability is that fresh produce growers are facing mounting challenges and unknowns, such as extreme weather events and the threat of tariffs, in addition to the not insignificant challenges faced in growing highly perishable fresh produce in the U.S.

Growers surveyed for Sustainability Insights 2025 named familiar challenges and hurdles to incorporating sustainable growing practices in their operation such as cost, time, labor, equipment, demand and hassle.

Layered onto these well-known challenges, in 2025, growers stated they are also facing a host of unknowns as it relates to the cost of their operation. Sixty-two percent of growers report that they have been impacted by extreme weather in the past year and 70% of growers say they have some level of concern with how tariffs will affect their business.

Sustainability Insights 2025 asked growers what matters most on the farm when it comes to sustainability.

(Graphic: Debbie McShane)

Tracking Sustainability Efforts With Tech

Helping farmers measure, maintain and quantify sustainability efforts and regenerative farming practices is a kit of tech tools, equipment and software.

In Sustainability Insights 2025, while 36% of growers cited farm management software as the primary method of documenting sustainable practices in their operations, that group is tied with a cohort of growers (36%) who said that they do not document or do not implement sustainability practices at all.

This parity is striking, especially taken in contrast to 2024 survey findings, in which 64% of growers said that they do not document or do not implement sustainability.

Opting to leverage third-party certifiers to document sustainability practices, 27% of respondents said that “third-party certifiers audit my operation,” which is an increase from 19% in the 2024 survey.

Beyond tracking when growers are deciding what tech investments to make on-farm, precision irrigation nabbed the top spot for improving sustainability or smart farming practices. Investment in precision irrigation was trailed by precision inputs (not water) and investing in greenhouse technology.

One-third of growers stated they haven’t made any technical upgrades at all this year, but this large group could possibly be attributed to recent past investments in technical equipment, contributing to softer demand this year.

Investments that aren’t gaining momentum in 2025 include artificial intelligence (AI) tools, autonomous tractors, robotic seeding, watering and harvesters, according to respondents.

One reason AI tools are not gaining traction could be because growers remain lukewarm about how they view the role of AI in the fresh produce supply chain. Only 12% of growers see AI playing an extremely important role in sustainability in the fresh produce supply chain, with 38% of respondents saying that they view AI playing a mildly important role, and 18% see AI playing no role at all.

Your next read:
Growers, Retailers, Consumers Share Top Sustainability Priorities

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Growers, Retailers, Consumers Share Top Sustainability Priorities

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 21:55:56 GMT

How are growers, retailers and consumers thinking about sustainability, prioritizing it in their businesses and lives, and defining what it means to them and the future of the planet’s health and food supply? Each year we look forward to digging into the results of Sustainability Insights, The Packer’s one-of-a-kind survey that explores sustainability from three perspectives.

While sustainability priorities differ somewhat among the three groups, there are overlapping themes. Given these differences, one key to the fresh produce industry’s continued progress on the sustainability front may be growers and retailers gaining a better understanding of what’s driving consumer demand.

The 2025 Sustainability Insights survey, designed by Prime46 Research and Consulting and Farm Journal’s Intelligence Division and fielded in June and July, finds sustainable packaging and reducing food waste rose to the top of both retailer and consumer sentiment. But for growers, sustainability is more focused on long-term economic viability with an eye to sustaining the farm for future generations.

Majority of Growers Stress Importance of Sustainability

The Sustainability Insights 2025 grower survey gathered insights from 74 growers, packers and shippers — the majority of whom identified as decision-making owners — on their perceptions and opinions related to sustainability in fresh produce production, packaging, food waste and labeling practices. The survey, fielded June and July 2025, included growers across the continental U.S., with 1,324 average acres farmed per respondent and over two-thirds of farmers surveyed over the age of 45.

Despite weather shocks and market uncertainty, 74% of growers surveyed say sustainability is very or extremely important to their business strategy. When asked to drill down on what sustainability means to them, 32% of growers surveyed ranked economic and long-term viability as the highest consideration, compared with just 9% of consumers.

Field-grown fresh produce growers eclipsed the number of indoor or greenhouse-grown respondents; the most frequently reported crops grown by survey participants include conventional vegetables (30%), berries (30%), tomatoes (25%), leafy greens (24%), specialty produce (13%) and organic vegetables (12%).

Retailers Prioritize Sustainability

Retail participation in Sustainability Insights 2025 included 83 survey respondents comprising U.S. retail executives, managers or employees with at least some involvement in the retail operation. The survey was conducted in June and July.

Retailers reported sustainability as a high priority within their strategy and financial decisions, with 98% of respondents saying sustainability is either important, very important or extremely important.

When asked what are the top three reasons they implement sustainable practices, retailers most often pointed to reducing food waste (54%), meeting customer priorities (43%), being “the responsible thing to do” (42%) and improving human health (28%).

Packaging continues to be one of the most visible and measurable ways for retailers to advance sustainability.

Sustainable packaging ranks highest in importance in ability to impact sustainability within the supply chain with recyclable (69%), biodegradable (65%) and compostable (61%) packaging scoring highest as extremely or very important. Biological inputs and reducing carbon emissions also ranked high for at least half of the respondents.

Consumers Crave Sustainability

Fielded in June 2025, nearly 500 U.S. consumers — who share or do most of their household grocery shopping — completed the Sustainability Insights 2025 survey.

While sustainability resonates across all produce shopper demographics, Sustainability Insights 2025 finds that sustainable packaging may be the most powerful tool grower-packer-shippers and retailers have in engaging sustainability-minded consumers.

Though consumers place great importance on sustainable packaging, surveyed growers underestimated consumer willingness to pay for it. Thirty-five percent of consumers say they will pay upward of 11% more for sustainable packaging, but growers think only 13% of consumers will pay that much more.

While sustainability means many things to consumers, food waste was the top reported concern associated with a sustainable food supply, followed by a desire to improve human health, and climate change, shows Sustainability Insights 2025.

When asked how important a brand’s commitment to reducing food waste is to their fresh produce purchase, consumers placed the highest importance on
this effort, with 71% of consumers saying reducing food waste was extremely or very important.

In this report , we hope you find the insights, information and inspiration you need to drive your sustainability initiatives and achieve success in the year ahead.

Download the free report here .

Survey Says: Sustainability Perspectives From Growers, Retailers and Consumers

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 21:08:31 GMT

When asked what the word “sustainability” means to them, consumers and retailers responding to The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 survey ranked environmental impacts at the top. Growers, however, most often cited the economic and long-term viability of an operation.

This should come as no surprise to those in the fresh produce industry, as labor and production costs continue to increase for growers, with no sign of stopping. But this also illustrates a stark divide between fork and farm as only 9% of consumers and retailers, on the other hand, see sustainability as being related to long-term viability.

Consumers also have a broad application of what sustainability means, indicating it relates to quality, seasonal and local produce, availability and access, and energy use.

For growers, economic viability means much more than staying in business. Sustainability Insights 2025 results show 62% of growers see implementing sustainable farming practices as being a better steward of the land, which reflects growers’ view of sustainability as tying into the long-term viability of the industry. Along the same lines, 43% of growers also think implementing sustainable farming practices is “the responsible thing to do.”

While 14% of consumers and 11% of retailers also see sustainability as relating to the freshness and shelf life of produce, only 3% of growers see sustainability in that way. For consumers, though, freshness and shelf life was the second-most important factor associated with sustainability, following environmental impacts, and it was the third-most important factor for retailers.

Surveyed growers placed little importance on how health and nutrition relate to sustainability (1%). Meanwhile, consumers surveyed saw health and nutrition as the fourth highest in importance (9%).

Retailers ranked waste reduction and packaging as the second-highest priority (13%) among the 12 categories in the survey, but in contrast, only 2% of consumers see waste reduction or packaging as being a part of sustainability. This likely reflects the push for more sustainable packaging, however based on the response from consumers in the survey, it’s as high of importance perhaps expected.

Consumers placed higher importance on sustainability’s relationship to chemical-free or organic production (9%) than retailers (5%) and growers (7%). Growers also didn’t place high value on quality as relating to sustainability (4%), compared to 11% of retailers and 7% of consumers.