September/October 2023 - 7

RECYCLING
 Duda Farm Fresh Foods farms
thousands of acres in Georgia, Florida,
Michigan, Arizona and California.
 Duda Farm Fresh Foods, with growing
operations in five states, produces
nearly 33% of the celery grown in the
U.S., according to its website.
content in primary packaging by
2030.
4. Reducing 20% of virgin plastic in
primary packaging by 2030.
" We're looking at where we can make
the highest impact, " Towell said. " So we
looked at the highest movers, or what
we're shipping the most of, and that's
where we started. "
The company is working with its
primary packaging vendors to test
new substrates and find ways to reduce
plastic use while also ensuring that food
safety and shelf life performance is not
affected, Towell said.
" We're still in the heavy trialing phase
at the moment. We have over 1,200
different packaging components, so
that's a large undertaking as a company, "
she said. " It's not something we can do
" Farming has always been
sustainable. We have to
preserve the ground to
keep getting the crops. "
- NICHOLE TOWELL,
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND PACKAGING PROCUREMENT,
DUDA FARM FRESH FOODS
overnight. It's a lot of intensive, serious
work, because we also have to make
sure that it (the packaging) will still
perform well. "
AN ONGOING EFFORT
Duda Farm Fresh Foods is taking other
steps to help keep Andrew Duda's longago
vision viable.
The company is investigating automated
harvesting and tries to maximize energy
efficiency - Towell said solar panels
power 40% of the company's Oxnard,
California facility - while employing
measures such as drip irrigation and
water sensors.
From that first celery crop harvested
97 years ago, Duda Farm Fresh Foods now
breeds around 150 patented varieties,
Towell said. The company also produces
broccoli, cauliflower, citrus,
radishes and sweet corn.
" Farming has always been sustainable.
We have to preserve the ground to keep
getting the crops, " Towell said. " We
wouldn't have been able to farm for
100 years if we didn't take care of what
we had. "
PRODUCE PROCESSING
7
lettuce,

September/October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2023

The Process
A century of sustainability
Safety starts with sanitation
Sorting solutions
Waste not, cut costs
Center for Produce Safety
PMMI
The Pulse
Calendar
Advertiser Index
What’s on the Web
September/October 2023 - 1
September/October 2023 - 2
September/October 2023 - 3
September/October 2023 - The Process
September/October 2023 - 5
September/October 2023 - A century of sustainability
September/October 2023 - 7
September/October 2023 - Safety starts with sanitation
September/October 2023 - 9
September/October 2023 - 10
September/October 2023 - 11
September/October 2023 - Sorting solutions
September/October 2023 - 13
September/October 2023 - 14
September/October 2023 - 15
September/October 2023 - Waste not, cut costs
September/October 2023 - 17
September/October 2023 - Center for Produce Safety
September/October 2023 - 19
September/October 2023 - PMMI
September/October 2023 - 21
September/October 2023 - The Pulse
September/October 2023 - What’s on the Web
September/October 2023 - 24
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/november-december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/september-october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/PRO/august-2019
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