1 Review on “Del Monte Foods”

• Shannon Barrington

  Del Monte Foods is a prominent fruit-producing brand and major exporter to the United States. It presents a mixed ethical landscape when viewed through the lens of sustainability. There are notable positive progression as well as common concerning elements regarding food production.

  On the positive side, Del Monte Foods aligns through it’s parent company Del Monte Pacific with the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited Sustainability Reporting Guide and Rule, underscoring their commitment to transparency. By adhering to the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Reporting Standards, they aim to provide comprehensive insights into their sustainability efforts. Through these biannual reports, Del Monte Foods shares significant milestones and progress towards their sustainability goals, fostering accountability and encouraging open dialogue.

  Moreover, recognizing the need to address the wellness gap for youth, Del Monte Foods has made a investment of $5 million over the next decade. This commitment seeks to support the well-being of young people and communities across the United States. By partnering with the nonprofit Alliance for Healthier Generation, they aim to develop nutrition education resources primarily for underresourced communities.

  In their sustainability report (available on their website at https://www.delmontefoods.com/sustainability-reports), Del Monte Foods outlines ambitious goals to be achieved by 2025 while providing insights into their current progress. For instance, their commitment to converting plastic packaging to 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable materials by 2030 is a positive step towards addressing plastic waste. They are actively engaged in the development of compostable fruit cups using bioplastics and mono-material recycle-ready plastics, indicating ongoing efforts to find sustainable packaging alternatives.

  In 2020, they were recognized by PR Daily for creating more transparent production chain: https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/740031-del-monte-foods-creating-…

  In general, the problems of large food production companies include packaging waste, the traceability and transparency of production chains, and food waste. Del Monte Foods has made improvements in these areas, but there is a lot to be done because it is a big company with long history.

  Overall one gets the impression that while Del Monte Foods is a large food production company with food production problems (consume large amounts of fresh water, for example), they are at least trying to do something. But is it enough?

  February 17, 2024, 7:39 am

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