Fresh Del Monte boosts regenerative agriculture 11% across farms

Dive Brief:

• Fresh Del Monte expanded regenerative agriculture practices across its farms as the produce giant sets new targets on human rights and discloses that it's accomplished some sustainability goals early.
• Farms increased regenerative practices by 10.9% between 2022 and 2023, according to Fresh Del Monte's latest sustainability report. The company has a goal of implementing regenerative and soil health management practices on all owned and associated growers' farms by 2030.
• The produce company also disclosed a new goal to enhance human rights practices through assessments on all owned major agricultural operations by the end of the decade.

Dive Insight:

Fresh Del Monte's progress on regenerative agriculture comes as the company says it's achieved Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas reduction goals around seven years ahead of its 2030 target.

The company set goals to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 27.5% compared to 2019, and reported a 28% reduction in its latest sustainability report. Fresh Del Monte is also about 90% of the way toward meeting its Scope 3 goals, which call for a 12.3% emissions reduction compared to 2020.

"I am proud of our team for leading by example-large-scale farmers like us need to start showing scalable transformations," Hans Sauter, Fresh Del Monte chief sustainability officer, said in a statement. "Sustainability only continues to gain traction throughout our company, and I am thrilled to see both our progress and the work that lies ahead of us."

To expand regenerative practices across farms, Fresh Del Monte adopted cover crops without the use of herbicides, developed pest-resistant plant varieties and took other steps to minimize fertilizer use. The company has embarked on a joint initiative to turn food waste from its pineapple farms into more sustainable fertilizers.

Biodiversity practices also play an important role in Fresh Del Monte's approach to sustainability, and the company takes steps to preserve ecosystems through data monitoring and changes in planting practices.

At least 40% of company owned farms and 29% of associate grower farms have implemented regenerative and soil health management practices, according to the 2023 sustainability report. Fresh Del Monte has completed ecosystem mapping in Guatemala and Costa Rica, with plans to extend the capabilities to other farms.

"Through thoughtful, measured steps, the agriculture industry can protect our planet and conserve it for future generations," CEO Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh wrote in a letter to stakeholders.