Pizza Hut, Yum Brands Working With Dairy Farmers to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The aim of the project is to provide farmers with technology and data that will help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production of the milk used in Pizza Hut cheeses. The partnership is with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), which is a farmer-owned cooperative with more than 11,500 farm families and dairy suppliers.
Long-Term Goals for Pizza Hut and DFA
The Pizza Hut project is part of a larger strategy that has each party aiming for additional long-term sustainability goals. These include Pizza Hut and parent company Yum! decreasing GHG emissions by 46% within the next eight years with a focus on restaurants and the supply chain. They also aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
The DFA are aiming to reduce GHG emissions by 30% across the supply chain by 2030. They are also part of an industry-wide collaboration through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to be greenhouse neutral by 2050.
Pizza Hut’s ‘Industry-Leading Innovation’
Pizza Hut’s Head of Food Innovation and Technology, Penny Shaheen, said of the new partnership with the DFA: “Pizza Hut has a long history of implementing industry-leading innovation. With this sustainability initiative, we’re able to utilize technology along with our dairy partners in a way that helps the environment while still delivering the iconic taste that pizza lovers have come to expect from our offerings.”
The DFA’s Director of Sustainability Programs, Hansel New, added: “In 2020, Dairy Farmers of America became the first U.S. dairy cooperative to set a science-based target to reduce both direct and value chain greenhouse gas emissions, and this partnership with Pizza Hut and Dairy Farmers of America is an important piece in those continued efforts.
“We appreciate partners supporting our dairy farm families by investing in meaningful, innovative technologies and practices that advance environmental stewardship, while reducing farm-level greenhouse gas emissions.”
How the Sustainability Project Works
Interested dairy farm families and dairy suppliers enroll to participate in annual farm-level greenhouse gas and energy foot-printing. Farms then receive a SCiO cup, which is the world’s fastest lab-grade dry matter analyzer. It enables farmers to access instant dry matter analysis of their cows’ feed, which in turn helps them deliver precise nutrition and milk more efficiently, creating less waste and reducing on-farm greenhouse gas emissions.
