Green Plant of the Year

Each year, we ask our readers to nominate a plant they believe is going above and beyond in sustainability. For this award, we look for a new plant, a major addition or renovation project less than three years old that exemplifies a commitment to a sustainable future for food and beverage manufacturing. 

Highlights

whole_peeled_potatoes_awaiting_to_be_sent_to_be_tr
Green Plant of the Year

Green Plant of the Year: Keystone Potato Products Takes Sustainability to New Levels

Oct. 1, 2024
Keystone uses landfill-sourced methane and cleaned coal-mine water to reach nearly 100% potato utilization through value-added, environmentally friendly outputs for off-grade ...
Meat Case Image
Processor of the Year

2023 Processor of the Year: JBS USA

Nov. 17, 2023
The U.S. organization catapulted its Brazilian parent from a small Brazilian butcher shop to the biggest animal protein supplier in the world; the next step being value-added ...
Font Il 1 5 Edit Web2
Green Plant of the Year

Green Plant of the Year 2023: Hormel's Fontanini Foods

Oct. 16, 2023
Hormel’s Fontanini Foods plant used ingenuity and innovative engineering to drive down water and energy use and minimize the oils and sludge in the Illinois plant’s wastewater...
Rows Of Eggs
Green Plant of the Year

Green Plant of the Year 2022: Vital Farms

Sept. 26, 2022
Vital Farms’ Egg Central Station in Springfield, Mo. processes 6 million eggs a day all while staying committed to sustainability. Read why Vital Farms was named Food Processing...
Social-Responsible-Bimbo-Bakery
Green Plant of the Year

Green Plant of the Year 2020: Bimbo Bakeries USA

Oct. 5, 2020
With a solar array on the roof and employees beneath on a perpetual Energy Treasure Hunt, the Escondido, Calif. bakery has won several sustainability awards.
Smithfield-GreenPlant19-Team
Green Plant of the Year

Green Plant of the Year 2019: Smithfield Foods

Oct. 1, 2019
On a five-year mission to sustainability, this pet food plant in Orange City, Iowa, became zero waste-to-landfill.
TastefulBins
Energy Efficiency

2015 Green Plant of the Year: Tasteful Selections

Sept. 9, 2015
Potato processor's efficient plant enables it to grow.
PlantersBlueTote
Energy Efficiency

2015 Green Plant of the Year: Planters Goes Nuts for Sustainability

Sept. 9, 2015
This Fort Smith, Ark. Planters facility dropped double-digits in energy and water use and has been zero waste to landfill for three years.