The Global Impact Collective

Reducing Plum Waste Across the Retail Supply Chain

A conversation on how to improve the whole-chain approach for plums in the Pacific Northwest

June 10, 2025

Steeplejack Brewing Company

In late 2024 / early 2025, the Global Impact Collective worked with Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment signatories to publish a case study on food loss and waste in the Pacific Northwest plum supply chain. (Read more about this work in the Impact section of our website.)

As a follow up to this work, we facilitated a networking event in the Portland area with the help of that World Wildlife Fund, which featured the JL's Organic Orchards (the grower), Organically Grown Company (the distributor), and New Seasons Market (the retail store), as well as PCFWC signatories. This event brought the community together to hear the study results and start a conversation on how to work together to implement the recommended changes.

Panelists shared insights from each stage of the supply chain and emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration to reduce food loss and waste. A key gap identified during the lively discussion was the recent closure of four micro-processors in the region (facilities that had turned cosmetically imperfect but edible fruit into value-added products like purees, beer, and jam ingredients.)

“There’s not a lack of farmer talent and ability to grow. There's a lack of ability to get the food to the right place at the right time. The issue is volume and what you can save at what cost. Some places want a lot, and we don't have enough or some places want too little and we have too much. We have four short weeks to find homes for everything. The farm is working diligently not to transfer waste downstream, but this is a collective problem that we need to solve together.” — Brian Keough, Organically Grown Company

Since publishing the case study, New Seasons Market has already noted changes that they have made or will make in their approach. For instance, they're working to separate plum SKUs to better track waste across varieties and better understand customer preferences. They are also standardizing requirements and training across their growing number of stores while creating flexibility for different store needs.

"Most people have no idea how complex groceries are. They are an extremely perishable product, and American consumers have high expectations of quality and taste. Sales are the first and foremost way to reduce waste. This study was so valuable because it allowed us to hear directly from produce managers themselves without prescribed solutions.” — Athena Petty, New Seasons Market

We leveraged our networks to bring together representatives from the State of Oregon, City of Portland, manufacturing companies, the food service industry, and community-based organizations. Several new ideas were discussed, including using grants or incubator funding to strengthen the local market for micro-processing, which has contracted in recent years, how to influence consumer desire around perfect produce, pre-bagging produce, and the importance of reliable gleaners. It was a perfect way to bring the report to life and begin to activate the community immediately.