TUALATIN, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two thousand cases of hearty, healthy soups are rolling off the lines at Pacific Foods this month, but they aren’t heading to the grocery store. They’re destined for Oregon Food Bank as part of Pacific Foods’ promise to produce and donate a minimum of 24,000 cartons of soup per month to help transform local farm surplus produce into packaged soups and other meals. The ongoing commitment will provide 576,000 free meals a year.
“It’s amazing what delicious, healthy recipes Pacific can create from an inconsistent – and seemingly incompatible – list of ingredients,” said Susannah Morgan, CEO of Oregon Food Bank. “We’re grateful for their generosity, because it’s the kind of nutritious food that our clients are looking for.”
Building on its long-standing partnership that spans decades, Pacific Foods and Oregon Food Bank have created an innovative partnership. Upon receiving donations in unwieldy proportions or containers, the food bank provides a list of ingredients to Pacific Foods’ development team. The team creates a recipe to best utilize the donations and goes into production with dedicated line time at the factory. Thanks to Pacific’s leadership, this system is now being modeled by others across the country.
The food bank’s partnership with Pacific Foods allows it to say “yes” to farmers and producers more often, which strengthens those relationships and delivers shelf-stable product the organization can share with its clients for months. By finding a purpose for more of its edible food donations, the food bank estimates that the program prevents more than 200,000 pounds of food from being wasted per year.
“Our ultimate vision is to create an intentional production system. Our hope is that farmers are inspired to raise dedicated crops for donation because we’ve saved line time to cook up something delicious and nutritious,” said Chuck Eggert, founder and CEO of Pacific Foods.
Pacific Foods’ dedication is already rippling through Oregon. Talks are in the works with several farmers interested in devoting acres of produce to the food bank to be used in a variety of soup recipes from Pacific.
About Pacific Foods
Founded in 1987 in Tualatin, Ore., Pacific Foods is dedicated to inspiring people to know more about their food, where it comes from and how it’s grown by delivering delicious, all-natural and organic foods made with respect for land, animals and people. Pacific Foods offers a wide variety of all natural and organic food and beverages including soups and sauces, broths, non-dairy beverages, meals and sides. The company’s products are sold throughout the U.S. and Canada in mainstream grocery and natural food stores. For more information, visit www.pacificfoods.com.
