No Waste and Proud of It! A Glimpse Behind the Scenes at Mana Foods Produce Department

Mana Foods produce department takes great strides to reduce departmental waste, and we are proud that none of our department’s green waste is put into a landfill or the municipal waste system!

Our efforts to remain a no waste department start as soon as the produce arrives at our store and the process looks a little like this...

  • Check All Deliveries for Optimal Freshness and give feedback to farmers, vendors and shippers to ensure the delivered produce will have an optimal shelf life, even long after the customer takes it home

  • Inspect & Rotate using a “first in first out” method to ensure items will not deteriorate prematurely

  • Clean Our Back Stock Coolers & Maintain Strict Temperature Standards- food stored in a clean cooler at the proper temperature enhances shelf life and reduces waste

  • Responsibly Deal with Food Items that are Bruised from Handling or General Wear & Tear- reduce prices for our customers or prepare and use bruised produce in our kitchen rather than throw away

  • Use a “Root to Stem” Approach in the Kitchen- using as much of the available product as possible when preparing our delicious creations

  • Compost & Reuse Any Waste Leftover- remains that cannot be used for any of the above purposes are composted in bins and picked up by local farmers to be used in agricultural projects and composting


By Gary Butler (Produce Manager at Mana Foods)  

Edited by Haley Ferguson