January 2024 - 4

EDITOR'S LETTER
Sustainability is
worthwhile, but look for
unintended consequences
Ask growers and packers about their
sustainability efforts, and you're bound to
hear a number of responses, from integrated
pest management and water conservation
methods, planting systems that produce
more fruits and vegetables on less acreage
or storage technology that reduces spoilage
while extending a fruit's shelf life.
All of these are valid responses. Are you
making do with less? Are you cutting waste,
finding ways to use less irrigation water,
burning less fuel, or spraying fewer synthetic
pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers?
In this issue, we look at how one growershipper,
Duda Farm Fresh Foods, is making
changes in the name of sustainability as it
nears 100 years in operation (page 14). Contributing Editor Melinda
Waldrop talked to Duda's Nichole Towell, senior director of marketing
and packaging procurement, about the company's sustainable
packaging initiative.
In general, " sustainable packaging " tends to cover two objectives:
more recyclable materials and less plastic. While those are part of
Duda's initiative, the article brings up something the industry has been
struggling with: reducing plastic can affect food safety and shelf-life
performance. Cutting plastic just for the sake of cutting plastic might
have unintended consequences.
The U.S. fresh produce industry is dealing with this issue in Canada,
its largest export market. Environment and Climate Change Canada, a
federal department, is proposing mandates that would require 75% of
fruits and vegetables be distributed and sold in bulk and/or plastic-free
packaging by 2026, increasing that to 95% by 2028. Price Look-Up (PLU)
stickers would also have to be compostable.
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) recently
raised the issue with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who
attended a roundtable discussion on U.S. and Canadian consumer
food affordability in mid-November at the San Francisco Market. IFPA
CEO Cathy Burns and Vonnie Estes, its vice president of innovation,
highlighted the role of plastic packaging in ensuring shelf-life of
certain fresh fruit, along with offering affordability and convenience.
PLU stickers on bulk produce also possess benefits ensuring accurate
pricing at the checkout and giving consumers more options.
As local and federal governments consider sustainability mandates,
it's important the industry communicates this reality: While
sustainability measures are worthwhile, they can result in unintended
consequences, such as decreased shelf life and food that's less safe.
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JANUARY 2024 | VOLUME 58 | ISSUE 1
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January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2024
