Case Study
Production Process Change Drives Impressive Food Recovery (PCFWC)
December 17, 2024
As a signatory of the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment and the U.S. Food Waste Pact, Fresh Del Monte collaborated with TripleWin Advisory to roll out a food waste employee engagement program at its manufacturing plant in North Portland, Oregon. The goal of the initiative was to identify and implement food waste mitigation strategies that are measurably effective and replicable across its global operations.
The project yielded impactful results:
- 87% of employees (contracted and fulltime) at Fresh Del Monte’s North Portland plant received food waste educational training by watching the food waste video in person at the plant.
- 75% of plant employees submitted food waste reduction ideas.
- A total of 197 food waste ideas were captured in the Food Waste Opportunity Register.
- An employee idea was piloted and tested on five commodity fruits—cantaloupe, honeydew, mango, pineapple, watermelon; among fruit that would have gone to waste, 53.2% was recovered.
Hear from Fresh Del Monte Leadership & Employees
The U.S. Food Waste Pact interviewed leadership and employees at Fresh Del Monte’s North Portland Facility to collect first-hand perspectives on the employee engagement pilot and its impact on the organization and their commitment to reducing food loss and waste in their operations.
Interviewed Employees
Ana Cueva
Sustainability Global Program Manager
“We saw a very interesting case study from another company and decided to do something similar in one of our facilities.”
Santos Coria Sanchez
Director Plant Management, North Portland
“If you multiply the results of this project, that’s a big impact for the company and planet.”
Hector Yah
Quality Assurance (QA) Technician
“I liked this opportunity a lot because I have contributed quite a bit.”
Matthew Lepzinski
Quality Assurance Supervisor
“We have a pretty unique perspective. w=We see the food waste on a daily basis.”
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Employee Engagement:
A Key to Success
Engaging employees in food waste reduction initiatives creates a powerful, organization-wide commitment to sustainability. Employees are often closest to the daily operations where waste occurs and can identify inefficiencies or opportunities for improvement. Empowering them to take ownership of solutions transforms food waste reduction from a top-down mandate into a shared mission.