Going Green at the Counter

Supermarket delis can embrace sustainability for success.

The numbers are hard to ignore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that roughly 30% to 40% of the U.S. food supply ends up as waste. “It’s not just the food that goes away with it,” says Kurt Richars, director of growth and marketing for St. Louis, MO-based Anchor Packaging. “It’s everything it took to produce that food — the energy, the other inputs. All that goes away when that food is lost.”

For supermarket deli operators, that reality translates into both a responsibility and an opportunity. Everything behind the deli counter, from the sliced meats to the prepared foods to the grab-and-go containers, goes home in some kind of packaging. Consumers don’t really have a choice in the matter, which means operators do.

“Today’s consumers are increasingly aware of the impact of their purchasing decisions, and they actively seek companies that align with their values,” says Emanuela Bigi, marketing manager for Veroni, a charcuterie supplier that reached the 100-year milestone in April 2025. “By committing to sustainability, we can meet these expectations while maintaining the high quality and authenticity that define our products.”

“Today’s consumers are increasingly aware of the impact of their purchasing decisions, and they actively seek companies that align with their values.”

— Emanuela Bigi, Veroni, Logan Township, NJ

So, what does a more sustainable deli actually look like in practice? Sustainability in the deli is not one single move. Instead, consider it a web of interconnected decisions about what products are stocked, how food is prepared, what containers are used, and how all of those decisions are communicated to customers.

THE FOOD WASTE CULPRIT

Richars, who has spent more than six years in foodservice packaging, points out that most food waste occurs between the restaurant or grocery store and the home. “That last leg,” he explains. “That’s why sustainability is exciting from a packaging perspective, because that’s exactly where packaging lives.”

Robert Mullen, global specialty product leader at Hussmann Corporation, a commercial refrigeration equipment company headquartered in Bridgeton, MO, says refrigeration equipment plays a direct role here as well. “We develop our products to extend the shelf life based on the type of product you’re actually going to put in the case,” he says. “Meat, deli, and produce all require different temperature ranges.”

Craig Muldrew, vice president of marketing at Lacerta, a leading thermoformer of foodservice containers based in Mansfield, MA, says the company recently launched a new product line called Seal N’ Flip that is 25% less expensive and has 50% less plastic.

“The carbon footprint is half of what a traditional clamshell would be,” says Muldrew. “And probably more importantly, it helps extend the shelf life of the food because it’s film sealed.”

Muldrew notes that customer feedback shows the shelf-life extension is even more important than cost savings. When delis run low on product toward the end of a day, leaving sparse, unappetizing selections of sandwiches, they lose sales, and the food often goes to waste. Packaging that keeps food fresher longer means fuller shelves and less shrink. “By offering a packaging solution that helps them reduce waste and allows them to keep the shelf full, that’s a big opportunity to increase sales,” he says.

Veroni’s Bigi says the company, which has seven production plants in Italy and a slicing plant in Logan Township, NJ, includes sustainability in its product innovation strategy. “We are actively working on reducing the environmental impact of our packaging by minimizing plastic use and increasing the use of recyclable and more sustainable materials,” she says.

Paige Greenberg, sustainable packaging engineer at Plastic Ingenuity, a custom thermoformer with locations across North America but headquartered in Cross Plains, WI, says the landscape is shifting.

“Sustainability in packaging was kind of a voluntary ‘nice to have,’ but it’s really becoming more of a mandate,” she says, pointing to the expansion of extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation across U.S. states. So far, seven states are implementing EPR laws that hold producers financially responsible for the end-of-life management of their packaging. Through EPR legislation, packaging in recyclable or waste-reducing formats incurs lower fees, which is a financial incentive that’s pushing manufacturers and retailers toward more sustainable choices. Plastic Ingenuity used post-consumer recycled PET content in more than 25% of its packaging last year.

Polypropylene is an emerging PCR market, and Plastic Ingenuity commercialized its first polypropylene PCR part last year — a ready-to-eat meal tray for a large brand. “We’re getting more requests for that,” says Greenberg.

On the question of which packaging is truly more sustainable, Richars offers a counterintuitive perspective worth considering. A cucumber wrapped in plastic film, for example, may seem wasteful, but that packaging drastically extends the product’s shelf life. Meanwhile, the plastic tray holding a prepared rotisserie chicken represents less than 1% of that meal’s total environmental footprint because 99% of the impact lies in raising and processing the animal, Richard explains.

THE ENERGY USE CULPRIT

Hussmann’s Mullen says increasing energy efficiency is one of the most significant decisions deli operators can make to reduce environmental impact. The shift to LED lighting is one visible example, although it’s something that most consumers may never see or even know about.

“The life cycle of LEDs is significantly longer, so you’re not changing them as often, and you don’t have waste from that,” says Mullen.

But a much larger impact is possible with different refrigerated cases that reduce impact. The Environmental Protection Agency has implemented new regulations that are pushing retailers toward low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants. Many existing commercial refrigeration systems contain ozone-depleting refrigerants made from chlorofluorocarbons, which are being phased out. More environmentally friendly refrigerants include carbon dioxide, ammonia and propane.

“New stores are being set up with low-GWP refrigerants like CO2 or propane, where it really helps the environment long term,” he says.

Hussmann recently launched the NAV8A, a self-contained deli case using R-290 (propane). This is an option for stores not connected to a centralized remote refrigeration system.

Installing cases with doors also makes a measurable difference. “A case with doors on it is about a 70% energy reduction compared to an open case,” says Mullen. He acknowledges that there’s an ongoing debate about whether or not doors on cases rescue impulse purchases. Although he says, consumers will continue to choose staples, such as milk and cheese, from cases whether there are doors on them or not.

Hussmann also builds its cases to last at least a decade, and offers a “Hussmann Refresh” program to extend the life of aging cases rather than replacing them. “We build our products to last 10 years or longer,” Mullen says. “The materials we use, and the product quality, allow the retailer to keep the product in their stores, so it’s not something that’s going to have a short life and have to be disposed of.”

PRECISION SLICING PAYS OFF

Sustainability gains are also coming from the equipment side. Carolyn Bilger, marketing director at Hobart Food Prep Equipment, a provider of food service equipment founded in 1897 and headquartered in Troy, OH, points to precision slicing as an underappreciated source of waste reduction in the deli.

Hobart’s HS Series portion scale slicers, available in manual (HS6-1PS) and automatic (HS7-1PS) models, feature an integrated scale that eliminates the need to walk to a separate station and takes the guesswork out of hitting the correct weight. “Meats and cheese are sliced to the exact weight needed,” Bilger says, “so there is less waste.”

In testing against a competitive brand, another line of Hobart equipment, the HS Series heavy-duty slicers, achieved a 97.2% yield on meat compared to 96.3% for the competitor, based on slicing 50 pounds of meat daily. For cheese, the Hobart slicer yielded 96.3% versus 93.4% for the competitor across 30 pounds sliced daily.

The cleaner cut translates to an additional $1,478 in annual revenue on meat and $2,828 on cheese. “The math speaks for itself,” Bilger says. “A slicer that offers cleaner cuts generates greater profits since there is less lost product due to shredding.”

Looking ahead, Hobart plans to introduce its next generation of slicers this year, featuring proprietary capabilities for even more precise and consistent slicing.

SOURCING AND STRATEGY

What delis stock is as important as how they store and slice it. Claire Flannery, senior director of marketing and media at Greenridge Naturals, a deli meat and cheese company based in Chicago, IL, says consumers are driving demand for clean-label brands.

“Whether it’s organic or grass-fed beef or antibiotic-free poultry, brands that are sourcing from smaller organic farms can really reduce waste on a larger level,” she says.

Greenridge Naturals itself applies these principles across its product line. All of its meats fall under a natural or all-natural designation, with antibiotic-free and grass-fed claims featured prominently on packaging. The company hardwood-smokes its hams using actual hardwood chips — no liquid smoke — and uses in-house spice blends, producing them in small batches.

“Our methods kind of speak to the fact that deli meats can be minimally processed and can offer a healthy offering within the deli,” she notes.

The company has also worked to reduce its own packaging footprint by consolidating information, including the nutritional panel, onto a single front label.

MAKING SUSTAINABILITY VISIBLE AT THE COUNTER

Doing the work on sustainability is one thing. Making sure customers know about it is another. On-pack labeling and in-store signage are the primary tools delis should be using.

“You don’t see a lot of signage within the deli, so I think it really has to happen on pack, through labeling,” says Lacerta’s Muldrew.

Bilger echoes that, suggesting charts at the counter showing recommended slice thicknesses for different applications can both reduce overproduction and signal to shoppers that sustainability is a priority.

Small shelf tags that call out local or clean label products are simple and effective. “Having those call-outs on packaging and in-store from the retailer side is super helpful,” Flannery says. “There are a lot of people who will gravitate to those products if they’re called out.”

Veroni’s Bigi notes that delis have both the direct connection to brands and a direct connection to consumers, making them essential in communicating sustainability efforts. “One of the most effective approaches is to keep communication clear, simple, and authentic,” she says. “Customers don’t need overly technical information: They want to understand where products come from and why they can trust them.”

Yes, she says, signage and labels bring attention to sustainable practices; however, they will never be as powerful as personal interaction. “Storytelling is especially impactful,” she says. “When customers learn about the care taken in raising animals or the efforts to reduce environmental impact, they feel more connected to the product.”

There’s a lot of value to the deli department in trying to find ways to serve food more sustainably.
Make one smarter packaging decision. Implement a tighter production schedule. Add one shelf tag.
“It’s a big web,” Flannery says, “and there are different methods and things that delis can do to hit all those marks.”