Dive Brief:
- Fresh Del Monte will launch Del Monte Zero pineapples, making up for all the greenhouse gas emissions produced by growing and shipping the fruits through its supply chain, the company said.
- The produce giant said the pineapples are certified as sustainably grown by third-party certification group SCS Global Services.
- The pineapples will be available in limited quantities in the U.S. and parts of Europe in early 2023, making it the latest in a series of food product launches that claim to account for the amount of carbon used to produce and sell them.
Dive Insight:
As activist groups and consumers have called for greater transparency about the sustainability of food supply chains, CPGs have embraced carbon neutral products as a way to reduce emissions and prevent rising temperatures. From longtime standards like Bud Light to new entrants like Neutral Foods, consumers have more products to choose from that claim to compensate for all of the greenhouse gases emitted during production and shipment.
According to Del Monte, SCS assessed the pineapples’ production through their growth in Costa Rica and shipment and sale to the U.S. and Europe. SCS determined the resulting emissions were negated by carbon sequestration at the company’s eight farms, which contain roughly 5 million trees.
The farms also utilize carbon insetting to achieve neutrality, Del Monte said, which is when a company funds sustainability projects within its own supply chain that reduce or sequester emissions.
Del Monte said upgrading its transportation fleets also helped reach carbon neutrality in the pineapples’ production.
“They have not only demonstrated adherence to extremely rigorous principles of social responsibility, environmental, and governance performance but have also focused on increasing carbon storage on the lands they own and manage, while simultaneously minimizing their GHG emissions, to achieve carbon neutral certification,” SCS Global Services President and CEO Stan Rhodes said in a statement. “In doing so, they are confronting the climate crisis head-on.”
Del Monte has worked to implement sustainable practices into its portfolio through other product launches. In late 2021 and this spring, the company aimed to tackle food waste by launching canned vegetables and fruit cups that were certified by the Upcycled Food Assocation. The products reuse vegetables and fruits that would have otherwise become waste.
