Four potato processing plants of Conagra Foods' Lamb Weston division, Eagle, Idaho, have again earned Energy Star certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The plants are in Boardman, Oregon, Park Rapids, Minnesota, and Richland and Quincy, Washington.
The EPA awards the Energy Star -- one of the most recognized green marks in the world -- to plants achieving best-in-class performance, based on the EPA's Energy Performance Indicator (EPI). In 2008, ConAgra and other food companies worked alongside the EPA to develop the EPI tool now used to determine certification in the food industry. The EPA selected potato processing as one of the first types of food plants to benchmark because of the amount of energy and water they typically use.
"We couldn't be prouder of our ENERGY STAR certified plants -- and employees' ongoing efforts to help them maintain their certification," said Rick Martin, vice president of Global Operations, ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston. "Lamb Weston employees are constantly on the lookout for new ways to operate sustainably and
lessen our impact on the environment. We look for every opportunity to preserve and protect our natural resources by managing energy and water usage while following rigorous food quality and safety practices."
