Together We Are Filling Plates – Not Landfills

At Del Monte, we offer a wide selection of fresh, picked-at-their-peak, canned fruits and vegetables, which are a vital part of a healthy diet. Sometimes during the food manufacturing process, we identify cans with cosmetic issues. While the product inside remains the same great quality, some consumers would refrain from picking them off the shelf. We don’t want to see this quality product go to waste, which is where Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin comes in. I have been personally working with their team for nearly a decade, making sure that we work together to
find sustainable and socially responsible ways to redirect those cans to homes where they are needed. Rather than putting the cans in the dumpster, we send them off to the food bank where they are further inspected and even attractively labeled like any other commercial product. The process for making these tax-deductible donations is smooth and simple while cutting down on disposal costs.

We care about our community and donating our canned food is a great way to actively take steps to help provide for those who are in need. From my perspective, donating food to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin benefits us as the donor, the environment, and the community.

Roy Earl Nations Jr., General Manager at Del Monte Fresh Produce

A Kernel of Hope
Another fantastic manufacturer food donation comes regularly from Bonduelle, a brand that offers high-quality vegetables. Their frozen cob corn is donated due to cosmetic defects, such as kernel gaps, dents, and excess stalk ends. The product itself is otherwise delicious and nutritious. Screening food for metal fragments is completed by Bonduelle at various stages of processing. In order to receive and distribute the product safely, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin purchased a special metal detector to complete additional screening within our own facility in a temperature-controlled clean room before distribution. The funds for this machine were donated by the U.S. Venture-Schmidt Family Foundation and the Doug & Carla Salmon Foundation.

Thanks to the food and financial donors, we can save perfectly nutritious and delicious food that otherwise would be composted or landfilled, and instead share it with families looking for help and hope.