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Diving overview:
- The owner of East Coast grocery chains Food Lion, Stop & Shop and Giant Food is in a unique partnership with snack giant Kellanova to accelerate regenerative agriculture of the wheat used to make Cheez-It crackers.
- Ahold Delhaize USA said Tuesday that it, along with Kellanova and grain cooperative Bartlett, will invest to help wheat farmers in North Carolina adopt regenerative practices that improve soil health and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
- The regeneratively grown wheat from these farms will be milled alongside conventional grains at the Bartlett facility to make Cheez-It and Club crackers, which will be sold under the Ahold Delhaize USA brand starting in 2025.
Dive Insights:
The partnership between Ahold Delhaize USA, Kellanova and Bartlett brings together key stakeholders across the food supply chain to advance sustainability from farm to grocery store shelf.
About 95% of Ahold Delhaize USA's climate footprint comes from its suppliers, and collaboration is a key part of the grocer's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ahold Delhaize aims to slash. Emissions associated with agricultural operations About 30% before the end of the decade.
“A critical step in this journey is reducing Scope 3 carbon emissions. “Partnerships like this with Kellanova and Bartlett are needed, and we are excited to participate in this collaboration as we focus on our Scope 3 commitments,” said JJ Fleeman, CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, in a statement.
Production under the pilot program is scheduled to begin this summer. The project will focus on farmers who are already implementing regenerative agricultural practices and can help other growers make the transition.
The pilot program will use Arva Intelligence's technology platform CropForce to measure, report and verify the climate impact of practices, according to the release. This data will be used to inform Ahold Delhaize USA's sustainability initiatives.
“This data will not only help us in the race to Net Zero, but also help us chart a future path for our Scope 3 collaboration,” Marc Stolzman, chief sustainability officer at Ahold Delhaize USA, said in a statement.
