The Kroger Co. and the Tillamook County Creamery Association each received U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards this month for their outstanding efforts to implement programs that delivered significant benefits to their communities and their companies. Kroger received its award for outstanding dairy processing and manufacturing sustainability, and Tillamook earned the award for outstanding community impact.
The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards, sponsored by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, were launched in 2011 to recognize outstanding dairy farms, businesses and partnerships for socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices. Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA, served on the panel of judges, which included experts from academic institutions, government, dairy science, business and trade media, and environmental and dairy industry leaders.
The Kroger Co.
The Kroger Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio, unveiled its “Zero Hunger | Zero Waste” initiative last year to end hunger in the communities it serves by 2025 and eliminate waste across its company by 2020. The company’s sustainability commitment to reducing, reusing and recycling cardboard, paper, pallets, packaging and food waste has yielded impressive results.
Kroger’s 19 dairy plants around the country have diverted more than 1.46 billion pounds of material from landfills in the last few years, reaching a 97-percent diversion rate in 2017. This commitment has provided substantial financial benefits as well. Kroger’s dairy processing facilities have generated more than $4.7 million in recycling revenues since 2010.
Read more about Kroger’s efforts here.
Tillamook County Creamery Association
Tillamook County Creamery Association of Portland, Ore., provides its community with more than jobs and delicious dairy products. Its donations and volunteer work have made a positive impact on housing, education, hunger and more.
In fact, within a year of launching an employee-initiated volunteer program, 118 members of the company volunteered more than 1,200 hours of service. The company also committed $1.5 million to a new food innovation center at Oregon State University, among other donations.
Read more about Tillamook’s program here.
Other award winners and honorable mentions:
- E-Z Acres, Homer, N.Y. – Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability
- Reinford Farms, Mifflintown, Pa. – Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability
- Royal Dairy, Royal City, Wash. – Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability
- Magic Dirt, Little Rock, Ark. – Outstanding Supply Chain Collaboration
For more information about sustainability in the dairy industry, contact Taylor Boone, IDFA coordinator of regulatory affairs, at tboone@idfa.org.