Earth Day and Environmental Stewardship

Upper Lakes Foods, Inc. Environmental Stewardship Mission:

“Upper Lakes Foods, Inc. is committed to sustaining our planet’s natural resources by continually improving the efficiency of our operations, working with our suppliers to provide environmentally superior products and supporting and assisting our customers in reaching their sustainability goals. Upper Lakes Foods, Inc. is dedicated to providing a culture of care for our employees, customers and suppliers that promotes health and wellness; economically, environmentally and socially. Through philanthropic efforts, including donation and employee volunteerism.”

We work hard to earn the trust of our partners and consumers. Being a socially responsible organization is integral to maintaining that trust. As a company, we made a commitment to partner with Midwest companies to grow local economies, which demonstrates their philosophy of balancing the needs of the environment, economy, and the communities they serve. Sourcing locally also reduces our carbon footprint, which is at the forefront of our environmental initiative.

This company incorporates many sustainable practices in all aspects of the food service business that minimize environmental impacts in the Lake Superior region. We offer just a fraction of the outstanding accomplishments here:

  • Our truck fleet is equipped with catalytic reduction devices that reduce some air emissions to zero. This allows us to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for fuel economy and emissions control.
  • The waste from test kitchens has been reduced by 80%.
  • We have eliminated all plastic/one-time utensils in both of our facilities. We replaced them with real plates, bowls, and flatware.
  • Installed Energy Star, high efficient hand dryers in all bathrooms, which reduced paper towel waste from 25 large bags a week to zero. This helped reduce waste hauler pick-up from four times/week to two.
  • Donate un-sold food to local food banks on a continual basis.
  • Installed faucet aerators to reduce water usage by 50%.
  • Low flow toilets installed throughout the facility, reducing water use by hundreds of thousands of gallons per year.
  • Replaced all soap and dish cleaning chemicals with environmentally friendly and natural products

It takes a community of like-minded individuals to create profound, lasting change. Our goal at Upper Lakes Foods is to improve the health and sustainability of our environment, economy, and community. We are committed to bringing you the freshest products, right from the planet to your plate.