Ahold Delhaize USA has announced a new pilot program focused on potato farming.
Over the next three years, the grocery retail group will collaborate with The Campbell’s Company to lower Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions connected with potato agriculture. This partnership aims to assist farms in implementing regenerative farming techniques that promote resilient agricultural systems and foster carbon emissions reduction through improved soil health practices, according to a press release.
The pilot will engage three potato farms located in North Carolina, New York, and Michigan. The initiative will nurture approximately 1,000 acres of farmland — a figure that corresponds to the annual acreage required to produce potatoes for the Campbell’s products offered in Ahold Delhaize USA brand stores. Potatoes harvested through this project will be blended with conventionally grown potatoes for products such as Kettle Brand® chips, Cape Cod® chips, and Campbell’s® soups available in local brand stores.
The pilot program will emphasize practices such as cover cropping, compost application, nutrient management, and transitioning farm equipment to renewable energy sources. Additionally, the partnership will involve measuring soil health and emissions impacts, while building upon Campbell’s broader efforts in supporting sustainable practices among potato farmers, a program that has involved all its potato suppliers since 2023.
“Potatoes are a key ingredient used across our portfolio,” says Stewart Lindsay, Campbell’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Collaborations like this help connect our customers and consumers to the farmers who grow key ingredients in the food we make while actively helping to measure and advance sustainability and regenerative agricultural practices in our supply chain.”
This initiative marks Ahold Delhaize USA’s third farmland-focused pilot program launched this year.
