PALM DESERT, Calif. — Sustainable Produce Summit 2024 is a wrap, as are this year's Best of SPS Marketing Awards. Held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa on May 30, SPS offered a day of education that culminated in the marketing awards presentation.
Nominations for this year's Best of SPS Marketing Awards were accepted from March 6 to May 10, 2024, in the following categories: Website marketing; packaging; social media marketing; retail promotions; and business-to-consumer messaging.
Submissions were reviewed and winners selected by a cross-functional team at Farm Journal and The Packer, including marketing, editorial and sales team members.
Nominees were evaluated on criteria including quality of graphics, organization and presentation; creativity and memorable concept; clarity of messaging; strategy, specifically in terms of advancing sustainability business goals; and audience response.
This year's award winners are as follows:
Best in Packaging
Highline Mushrooms was recognized for its clear, concise and prominent sustainability messaging on its 100% recycle-ready packaging.
“With the strong support of retailers and consumers, who are embracing the visibility of the mushrooms they purchase and the recycle-ready pack, we will eliminate 80,000,000 [plus] colored tills destined for landfill from our industry,” the company said.
Best in Website
Equifruit nabbed its second Best of SPS award in four years for its well-designed and skillfully worded website. Specifically, its sustainability webpage clearly communicates the company's commitment to sustainable practices in ways that customers and consumers can easily understand.
“Our goal is to drive awareness of how Equifruit bananas are the more sustainable option when it comes to tropical produce,” the website says. “We unpack our sustainability commitments through Fairtrade in easy-to-digest, laymen-friendly chunks of information …”
Best in Social Media
NatureSweet received the award for its Farmworker Awareness Week-aligned social media campaign highlighting its behind-the-scenes employees who are vital in getting its product to market.
“Most people think only about the environment when they talk about sustainability. However, at NatureSweet, we are focusing on people, planet and staying competitive as a company. If we neglect any of these — it's no longer sustainable,” the company says. “We have real-life stories from actual employees whose lives have been positively transformed …”
Best in B2C Messaging
THX! Dreams was awarded for its social impact program that seeks to provide authentic connections between shoppers and farmworkers while helping farmworkers achieve their dreams.
“We provide a unique buying experience through QR codes and augmented reality labels. Consumers know firsthand where their contribution is going,” the company says.
Related: Why it's time for the fresh produce industry to tell its sustainability story
