Publish Pete Pappas & Sons, Inc. Sustainability Case Study

Pete Pappas and Sons, Inc (PP&S) is a leader in the wholesale fresh produce distribution industry in the Washington, DC area. They are known not only for over 80 years of business and commitment to high-quality produce but also for their sustainability practices. One of the key areas of focus in sustainability for PP&S has been food waste mitigation and management, an issue that has become increasingly important in the food industry as companies look for ways to reduce their environmental footprint while improving operational efficiency.

This case study explores how PP&S developed and implemented effective food waste procedures that align with their sustainability goals and positively impact their business, community and broader environmental initiatives.

UN Goals:
9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
13 - Climate Action
15 - Life on Land

Headquartered in Jessup, MD, Pete Pappas and Sons, Inc. has a rich history as a fourth-generation family-owned business providing high-quality packaged and bulk fresh produce to grocery chains, food service chains and distributors since 1942. They specialize in sustainably packaged tomatoes, berries, organics, melons, citrus, Western veg and additional mixed vegetable assortments. They are known for their flagship labels Patricia Brand and Pete’s Garden Organics, in addition to being private labeling experts.

This family-owned fresh produce company is built on over 80 years of progress and consistent advancements to their business operations. One such improvement was on their waste procedures, recognizing that this would positively impact both their business overall and the environment for the next generations. They developed and implemented an effective plan to reduce food waste and trash production within their facilities on-site and address the end-of-lifecycle of the fresh produce they sell.

The challenge:
Managing Food Waste

The fresh food distribution industry faces significant challenges regarding food waste contributing to landfills. As a company that handles large volumes of perishable products, PP&S has encountered many common food waste issues such as:

Short shelf-life: Fresh fruits and vegetables having a limited window of shelf life for consumption, sometimes a matter of days or weeks before spoilage.
Spoilage during transportation: Temperature fluctuations and improper handling can lead to product loss prior to arrival at a facility.
Expiring inventory: Expiration of perishable goods during storage on-site creating waste.
Excess inventory: Unsold goods leading to an unexpected oversupply of product.
Operational loss: Waste generated during the production, packaging, handling, or distribution of food product.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Fresh fruits and vegetables decaying in landfills emits measurable greenhouse gases affecting the local environment and air quality.

Years ago, the company audited their waste practices and landfill contributions to find that they were faced with a lose-lose situation. Not only was there a huge cost to pay for waste to go to landfills, but it also ultimately came at a cost to the local environment. PP&S was determined to address these challenges by adapting to more sustainable waste practices, specifically implementing a “zero food-waste” goal accompanied by the ethos that “food is never trash”. These new practices would go on to reduce their local landfill use by diverting all food waste away from landfills, eliminating costs associated with daily trash pickups and tonnage fees, reducing Green House Gas emissions in local landfills, and reducing their impact to the environment overall when doing business. These changes over time have grown into an award-winning and multi-step food diversion program.

Flyer detailing sustainability achievements of Pete Pappas & Sons with statistics on waste diversion and environmental impacts.

The Strategy:
Food Waste Procedures and Sustainability Initiatives

Pete Pappas and Sons, Inc. took a multi-faceted approach to combat food waste across their operations aligned with the EPA Wasted Food Scale. As seen on the EPA Wasted Food Scale, the goal is to prevent food waste first, and then lists landfill diversion methods prioritized via consumption by humans and animals, composting, anaerobic digestion and land application. Highlighted in red, the last stage to avoid is sending food down the drain or to a landfill. This aligns with PP&S goal of zero-food waste to landfills.

Key strategies at PP&S:

Prevent Wasted Food Through Logistical Optimizations
- Streamlined Ordering Practices: The company utilizes a just-in-time (JIT) inventory model, coordinating purchasing and arrival with the time of sale or delivery, thereby reducing the chances of food expiration.
- Buying Better: Buying practices that align with demand forecasting allow for better customer ordering alignment and less unsold or excess inventory.
- Maintaining the Cold-Chain: By using state-of-the-art refrigerated trucks and warehouse systems, PP&S ensures food products are transported, packed and stored at optimal temperatures from procurement through customer delivery. This reduces spoilage and maintains the freshness of perishable items.
- Warehouse Improvements: The company installed high efficiency air purifiers in the warehouse which sustains quality and extends the shelf life of their fresh produce by removing airborne bacteria, mold, and Ethelene gas.
Donation and Redistribution Program
- Partnerships with Charities: Pete Pappas and Sons partners with local food banks and community organizations to redistribute all unsold or surplus edible food. This initiative both prevents wasted food and supports feeding people in their local community, which is the top priority of the EPA Wasted Food Scale.
Animal Feed Program
- Local Farm Partnerships: In partnering with local farms, unsold food material that is edible for animals, but not humans, goes to local farms to feed livestock. This aligns with the Wasted Food Scale in consumption of food material by animals after human consumption.
Anaerobic Digestion Program
- MD Bioenergy Center Jessup: By connecting with a hyper-local anaerobic digestion company in Jessup, located less than a mile from their facility, PP&S ensures that all inedible food and organic matter from the facility (including everything from production line waste to employee meal scraps) goes to anaerobic digestion to create energy. The proximity of the bioenergy center eliminates the cost of trash pickups while also minimizing the cost and emissions of otherwise travelling longer distances to divert inedible food matter. This is another preferred way to avoid landfills per the Wasted Food Scale.
Leveraging On-site Pickups
- Finding partnerships with local companies, non-profits, and farmers who pick up product from the facility reduces coordination and logistics of drop-offs and eliminates the company’s travel costs and emissions.
Employee Engagement and Education
- Green Team On-Site: PP&S implemented training programs for employees on how to properly manage food waste on site. All employees are trained during onboarding and have access throughout the building to organic matter bins that are used to gather production waste, meal scraps, compostable on-site paper and utensil products and all other food matter that is collected for anaerobic digestion.
- Waste Audits: On-site waste audits are conducted to identify areas needing improvements or corrective actions to further reduce possible wasted food on-site.
Sustainability Awards, Certifications and Reporting
- Sustainability Leadership Award: Pete Pappas and Sons was awarded the Sustainability Leadership Award from the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Maryland Green Registry in 2022 for their sustainable practices, measured impacts and success in food waste management.
- Certified Sustainability Reporting Manager: PP&S has a Certified Sustainability Reporting Manager (CSRM) on-site to oversee the company’s sustainability procedures, reporting and auditing.
- Yearly Reporting: Food waste prevention and diversion activities are calculated on a yearly basis and those yearly impacts are reported in a Sustainability Successes document and on their website.

Results: Impact of Food Waste Procedures

The company’s strategic food waste procedures have led to significant positive outcomes including:

99% Reduction in Food Waste: Pete Pappas and Sons has successfully eliminated the amount of food sent to landfills in its operations by over 99%. This has been achieved through better inventory management, improved logistics, employee trainings and a 3-pronged food diversion method that feeds people, feeds animals and creates bioenergy.
Up to 5 Million Pounds per Year avoid landfills and become food for people, animals or bioenergy.
95% Landfill Contribution Reduction: Through the diversion methods above, the company has eliminated over 95% of its trash production and landfill contribution. On a yearly basis, this results in up to 5 million pounds kept out of local Maryland landfills.
Green House Gas Emissions Reduction: By diverting millions of pounds of food from landfills each year, the company has made a significant reduction to its emissions footprint.
Community Benefits: Their food donation program provides hundreds of thousands of pounds of food to local charities each year. Feeding locals in need strengthens community ties and ensures all edible food feeds people and avoids landfills.
Cost Savings: Improved inventory management and waste reduction practices have led to reduced operational costs, both in terms of waste disposal and product loss.

Key Learnings and Recommendations

Other businesses in the food distribution and service sectors can learn valuable lessons from Pete Pappas and Sons, Inc.’s approach:

Reference the EPA Wasted Food Scale to inform food waste diversion priorities.
Collaborate with local charities and community organizations to ensure surplus food is redistributed effectively and not thrown away.
Collaborate with local farms who can pick up your excess product to create another diversion outlet for human-inedible food to be consumed by livestock.
Evaluate your local options including compost and anaerobic digestors to find the best fit for the food waste program at your company and reduce your own food waste on-site.
Foster a culture of sustainability by engaging employees at all levels and providing them with the tools and knowledge to reduce waste on a personal and company level.
Regular audits and process reviews are essential for continuous improvement of food waste procedures and achieving long-term sustainability goals.

Conclusion

Collage of various fruits and vegetables around a wood-textured panel with company branding text. Pete Pappas and Sons, Inc. stands as a success story and model for sustainable food waste management in the fresh food distribution industry. Through a combination of advanced technology, community and employee engagement, and operational efficiencies, the company has not only eliminated millions of pounds of food waste and associated landfill costs each year but also cultivated a positive environmental and social impact.

As sustainability becomes an increasingly important focus for businesses across all industries, Pete Pappas and Sons leads the way in showing that purposeful and strategic actions in business can effectively reduce waste, lower expenses, improve community well-being and positively impact the environment.

You can read more about their sustainability initiatives at www.petepappasinc.com/sustainability.

Food Waste Prevention and Diversion Procedures and Results

Pete Pappas & Sons, Inc. Sustainability Case Study

The challenge:
Managing Food Waste

The Strategy:
Food Waste Procedures and Sustainability Initiatives

Results: Impact of Food Waste Procedures

Key Learnings and Recommendations

Conclusion

Related Resources

Food Waste Prevention and Diversion Procedures and Results

Pete Pappas & Sons, Inc. Sustainability Case Study

The challenge:Managing Food Waste

The Strategy: Food Waste Procedures and Sustainability Initiatives

Results: Impact of Food Waste Procedures

Key Learnings and Recommendations

Conclusion

Related Resources

The challenge:
Managing Food Waste

The Strategy:
Food Waste Procedures and Sustainability Initiatives