Del Monte Zero
Our carbon-neutral pineapple

Billed as carbon neutral-certified fruit, its business model factors in the entire supply chain from farm to table in North American and selected European markets. The company said that using a limited percentage of the company's total pineapple volumes, the Del Monte Zero pineapple was a new product line extension from the Del Monte Gold, HoneyGlow, and Del Monte The Original pineapple varieties, grown in Costa Rica and certified as sustainably grown by third-party certification body SCS Global Services.

After a comprehensive assessment of Fresh Del Monte's Costa Rica pineapple production through shipment and sale to the North American and European markets, SCS Global Services determined that the Del Monte Zero pineapples' greenhouse gas emissions have been negated by the reabsorption of Fresh Del Monte-owned forests, making those pineapples' carbon footprint net zero.  Del Monte noted that the limited-availability, carbon neutral-certified Del Monte Zero Pineapple, which will be available to North American and select European consumers in 2023, was accomplished through a long-standing programme of curated farms that incorporated conservation and reforestation areas to sequester CO2 in situ.

Creating this nature-based solution, also known as insetting, is part of a larger commitment Fresh Del Monte has made to combat climate change. The brand has made investments in upgrading its transportation fleet and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while it maintains an 8,000+ hectare forest containing approximately five million trees that neutralize emissions caused by production and distribution of the special line of Del Monte Zero^TM pineapples. A trained group of Fresh Del Monte team members tracks and measures the company's forests biannually to ensure the amount of certified carbon-neutral pineapple boxes equates to the carbon dioxide sequestered through such conservation activities. We curated our farms to include vast tracks of forest to ensure we recaptured some of the remaining greenhouse gas emissions. Nature-based solutions need to be protected to be effective sinks for carbon in the long term, so we chose to keep forests on our farms where we can monitor them closely. The ecosystem on our farms is an integral part of our approach.

"Going beyond the farm to include emissions from inland and oceanic transportation, distribution, and commercialization is a major step in helping the environment," said Hans Sauter, chief sustainability office, senior vice-president, R&D and agricultural services. "We hope that the Del Monte Zero pineapples not only generate awareness among our customers, current and future partners but also provide consumers with a unique opportunity to support climate-conscious produce."

SCS certification was achieved by all eight of Fresh Del Monte's Costa Rican pineapple farms that export to either Europe or North America. The Del Monte Zero pineapple will be labelled as carbon neutral certified by SCS: look for the pineapples labelled "DEL MONTE ZERO" to participate in this insetting and doing your part to help.

SCS Global Services Final Report on Product Carbon Footprint and Carbon Neutrality can be downloaded here.