Supply Chain
Our team is committed to reducing our carbon footprint up and down the supply chain by finding operational efficiencies and minimizing our environmental impact.
Transportation
From driver shortages to high transportation costs to shipping delays, transportation continues to be challenging for Del Monte Foods and our peers. To address these issues, we began preparing more products for rail shipping, refined our fuel reimbursement process and improved the way we manage empty driven miles.
We continue to prioritize rail and intermodal shipments when possible, and by not maintaining a dedicated fleet, we have reduced empty miles on the road. In the future we’ll evaluate additional techniques and technologies such as autonomous trucks and electric vehicles to keep our transportation practices aligned with our goals.
Efficiency
We work to minimize our carbon footprint by locating our processing plants close to the fields where our crops are grown and harvested. For food we pack in our own facilities, the majority of our crops are locally-sourced and travel an average of 100 miles from the field to the manufacturing gate, and an average of 350 miles from distribution center to retailer.
Reduction in fuel used to transport our produce is only one benefit: co-locating our facilities also means we use the freshest possible fruits and vegetables, as well as minimize the amount of waste due to spoilage or transportation-related damage. In sum, it’s a win-win: better tasting products made from fresher crops coupled with reduced transportation and spoilage costs.
Ecosystem Protection
Due to our product portfolio and geography, deforestation-linked commodities are not highly relevant to Del Monte Foods. The deforestation-linked commodities we do source that are considered deforestation-linked (beef and timber and wood fiber, for example) are proportionally minimal contributors to the company’s overall Greenhouse Gas footprint. Nonetheless, we plan to do our part to limit the risk of deforestation throughout our supply chain. This policy outlines actions we are taking to implement and maintain a commitment to reducing deforestation.