Fresh Del Monte’s North Portland Plant named 2025 Green Plant of the Year

USA – Fresh Del Monte Produce’s North Portland, Oregon plant has won the 2025 Green Plant of the Year award from Food Processing magazine for its employee-driven success in cutting food waste and improving sustainability practices.

The company’s North Portland facility stood out for its hands-on approach that turned simple ideas from workers into measurable results. According to Ziad Nabulsi, senior vice president of North America Operations, staff members took ownership of the company’s environmental goals.

“Sustainability is something our employees are already interested in and committed to,” he said. “So, when we started providing training and education on food loss and waste, they were already engaged and excited.”

The six-month food waste training program encouraged staff to share solutions through idea competitions and Gemba walks. Out of 197 suggestions collected, 75% came from employees, resulting in significant improvements.

One standout idea changed how the plant handles fruit inspections, saving more than half of the fruit that would have been discarded.

A simple change, big results

Traditionally, fruit that failed initial inspections in the receiving area went to animal feed. The new approach shifted quality inspections into the production room. Fruits such as cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, and watermelon are now cleaned and sanitized before review.

“All parts of the fruit except for the inspected chunks were flowed through the plant’s standard production processes, where the ‘recovered’ fruit was incorporated into sellable goods,” Nabulsi explained.

This adjustment helped the facility recover 53.2% of fruit that would have gone to waste, equal to about 4,620 additional finished product units over five weeks. New signage in the production area also helped workers separate usable fruit from waste, making the new standard operating procedure easy to follow.

Nabulsi noted that Fresh Del Monte may consider applying the same process in other facilities. “Having an engaged leader, at our Portland facility, that was Sheri Bueler and Santos Coria, on staff to ensure the project ran smoothly, clear goals to work towards and a company culture that is continuously working towards operating sustainably helped lay the groundwork for this initiative’s success,” he said.

Expanding sustainability goals

The North Portland plant’s progress has earned more than just recognition for food waste reduction. It also received a Silver Award for achieving zero pretreatment violations in 2024, showing full compliance with environmental standards.

“The honor demonstrates the team’s consistent excellence in managing industrial pollutants responsibly,” Nabulsi said.

Fresh Del Monte plans to expand its sustainability efforts by installing LED lighting to cut electricity use and lower energy-related emissions. The company is also improving its system for tracking greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and will move from an Excel-based model to a digital solution for greater accuracy and efficiency.

“This effort aligns with the upcoming system transition and upgrade, which will replace the previous Excel-based approach with a new digital solution to enhance accuracy and efficiency in emissions measurement,” Nabulsi said.

As the plant continues refining its operations, Fresh Del Monte aims to build on the teamwork that made this recognition possible. The North Portland facility’s success shows how small, practical changes can lead to lasting environmental results when employees take the lead.

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