Bob’s Red Mill, the first manufacturer to sign onto the Pacific Coast Collaborative (PCFWC) to cut food waste in half by 2030, has partnered with the Pacific Waste Food Waste Commitment and TripleWin Advisory to develop an employee engagement campaign to reduce food waste in its whole grain milling and packaging facility in Milwaukie, Oregon.
With the help of the partners, Bob’s Red Mill hosted a Food Waste Reduction Challenge at the mill and asked for ideas from employees on how to reduce food waste from milling to packaging, to innovation, receiving and quality.
Employees submitted a total of 176 food waste reduction ideas. The company implemented one idea requiring a change to a whole grain packaging line. The result was a 70% reduction in food waste on the manufacturing line.
“While the results were beyond what Bob’s Red Mill imagined, this is just the beginning of their food waste reduction journey,” the company said.
Based on the results of the pilot program, Bob’s Red Mill said it has formed a food waste reduction team and has categorized remaining employee ideas to potentially implement in the future.
“Already, early returns from the pilot have shown just how much one employee idea can move the needle on food waste reduction within a manufacturing setting,” the company said.
Cutting food waste in half by 2030
The company has a goal of cutting its food waste in half by 2030 and as a result of this recent company challenge, it has formed a food waste reduction team and have categorized remaining ideas to potentially implement in the future.
The project ran for six months from May to October 2022 and succeeded in:
- Educating and building excitement across the organization via a new food waste education video for current and future staff
- Creating a Food Waste Reduction Challenge to engage and educate staff, as well as solicit high-potential new ideas to reduce food waste in BRM’s facilities and operations
- Building a new Food Waste Opportunity Register to record and prioritize new ideas from employees, as well as from the facility walk-throughs conducted during the project
- Selecting and implementing one quick-win (minimal effort, no-to-low cost) food waste reduction opportunity
Project results
- 29% of company employees watching the new food waste education video
- 176 ideas submitted to the Food Waste Opportunity Register
- 22% of plant employees submitting food waste reduction ideas
- More than 70% reduction in food waste on the manufacturing line where the quick-win idea was tested
Learn more about Bob’s Red Mill Food Reduction Employee Challenge.
