Whole Foods Market recognizes Grind2Energy

Whole Foods Market recognizes Grind2Energy

Grocery store chain has installed 10 food waste recycling systems in the North Atlantic.

September 14, 2016
REW Staff
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Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market has named Grind2Energy its North Atlantic Region Green Supplier of the Year.

Whole Foods Market says it was an early adopter of the Grind2Energy system, a food waste recycling system provided by St. Louis-based Emerson. Through Grind2Energy’s process, food waste at these stores is ground on-site using a customized, industrial-strength grinder by Emerson's InSinkErator division based in Racine, Wisconsin, which is then converted into a slurry and transported to extract methane for energy production and fertilizer.

The Grind2Energy solution, which is now installed at 10 locations in the region, has helped Whole Foods Market in its multifaceted and ongoing efforts to dramatically reduce landfill waste from its stores, it says.

“Whole Foods Market works to minimize waste across our operations and Grind2Energy helps us ensure unavoidable food waste is converted into a renewable energy source,” says Karen Franczyk, green mission coordinator for Whole Foods Market’s North Atlantic region. “Emerson has proven to be a strong and energetic partner, passionate about innovation that is truly helping Whole Foods Market advance our environmental stewardship.”

Grind2Energy was initially installed in 2014 in a Whole Foods Market in Andover, Massachusetts, handling the store’s food waste from the meat and seafood departments, as well as produce and prepared foods. Since then, Emerson has helped Whole Foods Market produce more than 220,000 pounds of fertilizers, eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to more than 2.5 million automobile miles and convert enough natural gas to heat nearly 850 homes for one month.

“Whole Foods Market embraced the potential of Grind2Energy early on, and we’re excited with the results they’ve seen in using the process to convert food waste into energy,” says Chad Severson, president of InSinkErator, a business of Emerson. “We are honored by the Green Supplier of the Year designation, and we’re looking forward to a continued strong partnership in the future.”