Sustainability Statement

Sustainability Statement
At Ford’s Produce, we strive constantly to be good stewards of our environment, good citizens of our community, and socially responsible in our business dealings.  We endeavor to operate in a manner that gives back to the community that we live in and the planet that we all call home.   We continue to integrate “sustainability” into each aspect of our business and try to make changes each day that will benefit the world that we all share and will one day pass down to our grandchildren.

Here are some examples of how we practice sustainability:

Purchasing
Ford’s Produce is committed to buying as much of our inventory from local farmers and producers as possible and practical.  This includes fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.  We also feature local items from local farms on our price lists and weekly email specials list.  This is not a new fad or the latest whim for us; we’ve been doing business this way for over 60 years.

Our shipping containers are sourced and produced locally from recyclable materials.

Operations
Ford’s Produce uses cutting edge, computer controlled, and regulated cooling systems in our warehouse and coolers to insure all units run at peak efficiency and shut down as soon as they are not needed, reducing power usage.
Ford’s Produce uses reusable plastic containers as shipping boxes for many of our products.

Ford’s Produce’s headquarters in Raleigh, NC is located near major Interstate Highways to reduce mileage for both outbound and inbound deliveries.  Our delivery routes are optimized to reduce fuel usage and carbon emissions.
Ford’s Produce has an extensive recycling program.  Our used cardboard is collected and used to produce new boxes.  Our drivers will also be happy to collect the used cardboard boxes delivered to our customers to be recycled in our program.

Ford’s Produce pays livable wages and maintains manageable workloads for employees, offering health insurance and an extensive benefits package.  We have NEVER laid-off employees.

Community
Ford’s Produce gives any wholesome but unsellable produce to the Inner Faith Food Shuttle to be distributed to local and statewide food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens.  What isn’t able to be eaten by humans is given to animal farms or made into compost by local firms.

Ford’s Produce regularly donates products to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and food banks across the state.  In fact, we donated almost half a million pounds of produce to the Inner Faith Food Shuttle last year alone.
Ford’s Produce mentors local farmers in their product selections and crop development as well as providing packaging and marketing advice.
Ford’s Produce works closely with The Healing Place of Wake County, a substance abuse treatment facility, to provide employment and opportunity to those battling addiction.

Ford’s Produce is a large donor to The Fisherman’s Project, a local organization that teaches participants necessary skills that will allow them to gain employment in the Foodservice industry.

We also donate food and funds to over 50 other local and national charities.

We look forward to serving you!