Food Processing Awards ConAgra/Lamb Weston 2011 Green Plant of the Year

In nominations and the final vote, we listed several points we were looking for in a Green Plant of the Year:

• Is it energy efficient?
• Does it use innovative or alternative sources of energy?
• It is minimally polluting?
• Does it minimize water use?
• Were green building materials and practices used in its construction?
• Is the design innovative?
• Is it economically sustainable?

For the second year, we asked you to identify the best recent examples of green/sustainable food manufacturing plants, and 3,092 of you picked the winner. That is, after you had nominated three exemplary plants for that honor.

Faribault Foods' main plant in Faribault, Minn., General Mills' Albuquerque, N.M., plant and the ConAgra/Lamb Weston facility profiled below were the finalists in the first step of our process, which started with your nominations on our web site during May and June. Those three nominees were asked for 200-word essays to help familiarize you with their efforts.

In late June and July, we asked you to return to our web site and choose among those finalists. We were overwhelmed by your response – 3,092 votes were cast in just one month. ConAgra's Delhi, La., plant was the runaway winner this year. That plant joins last year's winner, Kettle Foods' Beloit, Wis., plant, in our virtual hall of fame.

Following is a trio of stories: a profile of the ConAgra Delhi, La., plant; ConAgra's corporate philosophy on sustainability; and the nominating essays of the two runners-up.

• ConAgra Foods, Delhi, La.
• General Mills, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Faribault Foods: Faribault, Minn.