GOAL #1
Reduce the
amount of food
waste generated
CAMPBELL’S JUST PEACHY SALSA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Campbell Soup Company, the Food Bank of South Jersey,
Eastern ProPak Farmers’ Cooperative and Summit City Farms,
partnered together to create Just Peachy salsa. In the summer of
2012, peaches that could not be sold in grocery stores were sold
for pennies on the dollar by Eastern ProPak and brought to
Campbell. Campbell obtained additional ingredients through
supplier donations and worked with a cross-functional team to
develop and manufacture Just Peachy in their pilot plant at their
World Headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. The Food Bank of
South Jersey found local retailers to sell the salsa and 100% of
the proceeds went back to the Food Bank to support their nine
hunger relief programs servicing the growing number of food
insecure people in South Jersey.
GOAL #2
Increase the
amount of safe,
nutritious food
donated to those
in need
GOAL #3
Recycle
unavoidable food
waste, diverting it
from landfills
BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY
EXPLAIN HOW YOUR PROJECT SPECIFICALLY MEETS GOALS OF FWRA
Together, the partners in this initiative reduce food waste by utilizing
some of the 850,000 pounds of peaches that are dumped annually by
Eastern ProPak Farmers’ Cooperative for being undersized or slightly
blemished and unable to be sold in grocery stores. This helps recycle
food waste and avoids adding more peaches to landfills. In addition, the
profits from the sale of the salsa go to the Food Bank of South Jersey
aiding their hunger relief programs which supports the food insecure
population of South Jersey.
GOAL #1
Reduce the
amount of food
waste generated
CAMPBELL’S JUST PEACHY SALSA
HISTORY/BACKGROUND
GOAL #2
Increase the
amount of safe,
nutritious food
donated to those
in need
GOAL #3
Recycle
unavoidable food
waste, diverting it
from landfills
BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY
What issue drove the project?
•
Eastern ProPak Farmers’ Cooperative had 850,000 pounds of peaches that were ripe and edible, but were undersized or slightly bruised. These peaches
were unable to be sold and were being dumped by Eastern ProPak at a cost of $80,000 in annual dumping fees. Simultaneously, the Food Bank of South
Jersey was experiencing increased demand for food, distributing two million more pounds of food than the year prior and were facing federal funding cuts.
They had a need for a sustainable revenue stream to support this growing food insecure population.
How was the program developed?
•
The Food Bank of South Jersey was brainstorming ways to raise revenue to allow them to meet their growing demand. They discovered one local farmers’
cooperative dumps thousands of pounds of peaches each year that are undersized and slightly blemished, but ripe for donation. They distributed as many
fresh peaches as possible, but when they had a surplus, they came up with the idea to create a shelf-stable salsa to sell at retail. They recognized they
could utilize a business that they partner with often - Campbell. With the guidance and expertise of Campbell, the product was created and manufactured in
August of 2012. It has been produced for four consecutive years.
How was the baseline established?
•
Peaches that were supplied to the Food Bank of South Jersey for pennies on the dollar by Eastern ProPak allowed for some of the 850,000 pounds of
peaches that are dumped each year to be diverted from landfill.
How were responsibilities managed?
•
Eastern ProPak was responsible for supplying the peaches to the Food Bank. The Food Bank sourced prepping of the peaches. Campbell was responsible
for creating the recipe, obtaining additional ingredients, and manufacturing, packing and performing quality control tests on the salsa. The Food Bank
handled retail sales in local supermarkets, farmers markets and other Food Banks.
Discuss partners/collaboration efforts.
•
Main partners include: Eastern ProPak Farmers’ Cooperative, Summit City Farms, the Food Bank of South Jersey and Campbell Soup Company.
Suppliers that donated ingredients and packaging for production include Morton Salt, Sun Brite, Nature’s Quality, Mizkan America’s Inc., The Garlic
Company, Owen Illinois, International Paper, Silgan, Rock Tenn, RTS Packaging, and Twin Pak.
GOAL #1
Reduce the
amount of food
waste generated
CAMPBELL’S
JUSTNETWORK
PEACHY SALSA
FOOD RECOVERY
& SODEXO
GOAL #2
Increase the
amount of safe,
nutritious food
donated to those
in need
GOAL #3
Recycle
unavoidable food
waste, diverting it
from landfills
BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY
RESULTS
What are the long term implications of the project?
•
This is a program model for other food banks, growers and food companies to follow across the nation. Long term implications for the project include
looking into other produce or foods that have a surplus that can be made into shelf-stable products to create revenue for Food Banks. The program
demonstrates that problems such as food waste and food insecurity can be addressed by the collaboration of private and public partners.
What barriers or challenges did the project overcome to be successful?
•
Barriers included several government and FDA regulations in creating a product that would ultimately be sold by another entity. This project has marked
the first time the Campbell Pilot Plant was utilized to create a product for direct sale. Prior to the creation of Just Peachy, Campbell utilized the Pilot Plant to
test new products, which later would be sent to their fully functional plants across the company.
What are the social, economical and environmental benefits of the project?
•
It reduced the $80,000 dumping fees that farmers were paying to dispose of peaches prior to creating Just Peachy.
•
The project has generated approximately $250,000 in revenue over the past three years for the Food Bank of South Jersey creating a more
sustainable revenue source for their nine hunger relief programs serving the food insecure population in South Jersey.
•
It reduced food waste in local landfills.
•
It allowed Campbell employees to participate in a skills-based volunteer activity and gave them the opportunity to bring their CSR goal “measurably
improve the health of young people in their hometown communities” to life.
•
Created a healthy product for consumers that includes natural ingredients that is low in sugar and salt, and only 10 calories per serving.
•
It created a public-private partnership model that can be replicated across the country with other produce.
For more information please contact Melissa Donnelly, Corporate Social Responsibility Specialist at mellissa_donnelly@campbellsoup.com