US Foods Opens Giant Sustainable Distribution Facility

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US Foods Holding Corp. has announced the opening of the company’s 70th distribution facility, located in Sacramento, California, and the 355,000-square-foot facility's sustainable building and fleet initiatives make it the most environmentally sustainable distribution facility the company has built to date. The facility enables US Foods to service its growing Northern California customer base more efficiently, with room for expansion.

The facility houses foodservice products, fleet maintenance operations, a full-service demonstration kitchen, and a training center for customer product demonstrations.

The new building and fleet operations include attributes aimed at supporting the company’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its operations. Key sustainability highlights include:

• A forthcoming Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for building design and construction
• Solar array installations to be installed later this year and expected to generate between 40-50% of the building's energy needs
• Energy-saving LED lighting, environmentally optimized HVAC systems, refrigeration systems that do not utilize water for evaporative cooling, and water-saving landscaping
• A fleet of 27 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks fueled by Renewable Natural Gas, a carbon-neutral biogas produced from the decomposition of organic matter. With the addition of the new Sacramento-based CNG trucks, US Foods will have more than 75 active CNG trucks in its fleet
• An onsite fueling station that will provide Renewable Diesel (RD) to the facility’s fleet. US Foods is one of the early-adopters of RD fuel use within the foodservice industry, successfully converting 100% of the fleet fuel used at its Vista, Corona, Livermore and La Mirada, Calif., locations to RD fuel earlier this year. RD fuel is a more sustainable alternative to traditional diesel with a more than 65% lower carbon intensity rating

Other foodservice providers looking to boost sustainability include Aramark, which says it will cut emissions associated with the food it provides in the United States by 25% by 2030. As part of the plan, the company will increase the use of the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Cool Food Meals program, which identifies the emissions produced by each dish. 

Additionally, driven by demand to use recycled materials and a growing sustainability focus in the food and beverage industry, the green packaging market is estimated to grow significantly through the next decade, according to several reports.

A report by Research Drive shows the market growing at a CAGR of 7% through 2028, reaching a value of $451.7 billion. With more industries using recyclable packaging, that segment is expected to surpass $275 billion over the period.