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Oregon Food Processor First to Use a Life Cycle Assessment to Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Producing and Packaging a Food Product

Oregon Food Processor First to Use a Life Cycle Assessment to Evaluate the Environmental Impact of Producing and Packaging a Food Product

Published 05-12-09

Submitted by Truitt Bros., Inc.

SALEM, Ore. - May 12, 2009 - With national retail grocers and foodservice companies such as Wal-Mart and Sodexo turning to science-based life cycle assessment (LCA) as a component of their sustainability programs, Truitt Brothers, Inc., an Oregon-based innovator in the processing of shelf stable food products, proactively contracted the Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE) to assess the environmental impact of one of its staple products, beef chili with beans.

IERE, a non-profit environmental research organization based in Vashon, Wash., recently introduced the Earth Sure eco-label to recognize products that have undergone a holistic, cradle- to-plate evaluation. The Earth Sure certification is a specific type of Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) that substantiates a single product's environmental claims. The certification was developed expressly for the food processing industry in order to provide businesses and consumers with certainty that the environmental benefits claimed by a manufacturer do exist and are substantial enough to warrant special recognition.

Securing an Earth Sure seal www.earthsure.org verifies that a food product has undergone a life cycle assessment, which investigates and discloses the environmental impacts caused or necessitated by its existence. The assessment incorporates such diverse issues as climate change, soil loss and ecotoxicity caused by energy use in transport and manufacturing, and materials used in production and disposal.

The LCA results of a single-serving tray of Truitt Brothers beef chili show that the impacts are primarily driven by the on-farm impacts, followed by transportation. The actual processing of the beef chili and shelf-stable tray packaging tied for third place as sources of life cycle impacts. Shelf-stable processing avoids the environmental impacts associated with freezers or refrigeration, two energy intensive storage methods. As a result, Truitt Brothers’ beef chili with beans is the first food product to earn an Earth Sure certification. In achieving the Earth Sure certification, Truitt Brothers expands its traditional focus on sustainably raised food ingredients and introduces a complete life cycle assessment of its production techniques. (http://www.earthsure.org/Truitt_Chili_with_Beans_EPD.pdf)

"Although single-serving products tend to have more packaging, they also keep food losses to a minimum. Losses in manufacturing Truitt Brother’s chili were less than four percent, while typical food losses in the home are more than 15 percent," said Rita Schenck, executive director of the IERE. "A bit more packaging actually leads to less overall environmental impact over the product life cycle."

"Our customers support companies they trust and that trust is built through transparency and third-party validation," said Peter Truitt, cofounder and president of Truitt Brothers. "This life cycle assessment and EPD speak volumes about the efficiency of our company's processing technology and packaging. Our customers can be confident when they see the Earth Sure logo that they are buying a responsibly produced product and that our company is not engaging in green-washing."

IERE sees a day in the near future when all food packaging features an environmental impact statement next to the nutrition label, a practice mandated for all consumer products in France effective the end of next year.

"It's a manufacturer's responsibility to inform its customers about the environmental impact of a product," explains Schenck. "The food industry is cluttered with enough claims and empty phrases that are confusing buyers. We felt it was time to apply a holistic and scientific process as a basis for measureable impacts."

About Truitt Brothers, Inc.
www.truittbros.com
With state-of-the-art production facilities in Oregon and Kentucky, Truitt Brothers is a leader in the shelf-stable foods industry serving a wide variety of foodservice establishments, from restaurants and businesses to healthcare institutions, college campuses and grocery retailers. As part of the company's commitment to preservation of wildlife and natural resources, as well as positive employee relations and sound manufacturing practices, Truitt Bros. became the first Food Alliance certified www.foodalliance.org processor in the country in 2006.

About the Institute for Environmental Research and Education
www.iere.org
Founded in 1997, the Institute for Environmental Research and Education is an environmental not-for-profit with a mission to support fact-based environmental decision-making. IERE works with industries that are trying to find new ways to link their financial success with environmental improvement by educating and assisting organizations with their environmental management systems and impact assessments.

Truitt Bros., Inc. logo

Truitt Bros., Inc.

Truitt Bros., Inc.

Operated by brothers David and Peter Truitt in Salem, Oregon, Truitt Bros. is a third-generation family-owned food processor. Leaders in bringing quality and innovation to the industry, Truitt Bros. provides shelf stable products for a wide variety of establishments, from restaurants and businesses to health care and retailers. As part of their commitment to preservation of wildlife and natural resource as well as positive employee relations and sound manufacturing practices, Truitt Bros. became the first Food Alliance certified processor in the country in May of 2006.

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