The origins of our sustainability program began nearly 100 years ago when we started developing our own plant varieties. Today, a significant part of our sustainability efforts focus on agriculture and operations, but we have expanded our initiatives to create a balanced dedication to people, the planet, and our performance.

In 2017, we set out to refresh our sustainability program. In March 2017, we completed a sustainability materiality assessment were our consumers, investors, employees, growers, industry partners, and non-profits organizations provided feedback to inform what our are top 10 material issues.

We’ll be implementing our new sustainability program over the course of 2017 and into 2018.

At Del Monte Foods, Inc. we’re passionate about by bringing high-quality, healthy, and nutritious foods to people in a way that protects the environment, builds strong ties to our communities, and enables our company, consumers, customers, partners, and employees to grow and flourish. We focus on 3 core areas:

  • OPERATE WITH INTEGRITY & INNOVATION

  • STEWARDSHIP OF NATURAL RESOURCES

  • ENRICH PEOPLE’S LIVES

Other notable achievements include:

  • Our California Bay Area headquarters and research center are both Bay Area Green Certified Businesses.

  • Our plant in Hanford, CA applied a large solar panel installation, providing 8% of its energy needs.

  • Since 2007, we have diverted approximately 64% of waste reaching landfill.

  • From seed, farm, to plant – Our vegetables have been vertically integrated for over 90 years!

  • 100% Integrated Pest Management for almost 50 years and a pioneer in that regard for all vegetables.

  • 98% tomato growers utilize drip irrigation for targeted application of water and fertilizer, and 100% are within 50 miles to the Hanford, CA tomato processing facility.

  • Piloted the Sustainable Food Alliance’s Cool Farm Tool in WI & WA

  • Key member of Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops.

  • Del Monte Foods and other leading shippers have successfully completed 2016 emissions reporting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership.

  • Del Monte imports and exports about 10%of product from Asia. All of Del Monte’s contracted ocean container carriers are members of the Business for Social Responsibility’s Clean Cargo Working Group. CCWG works to monitor key environmental performance indicators and reduce carbon emissions through optimization and efficiency best practices.

  • Donated an acre of land to UC Davis Russell Ranch for sustainable Ag research.

In cases such as water usage and waste diversion, we’ve made great strides and are already surpassing the goals we set. As a result, we are re-evaluating to ensure we continue to build on these accomplishments.

In addition to achieving these goals, our success will be determined by affecting positive change—in the towns we live in and the larger global community—and remaining committed to the sustainability journey.

As part of that journey, we also encourage you to recycle your Del Monte cans, plastic cups, and glass jars! You can explore the Can Central website for insight into the sustainability benefits of using steel cans.