Water Conservation and Protection
Water plays an important role across the food system, from farming and food processing to consumption.
The food industry can also affect both water quality and availability. We continue to look for ways to reduce water use at our facilities and protect nearby waterways from potential impacts.
Reducing water use in our operations
Water conservation is a key part of our utility audit program and each facility’s environmental sustainability action plan. We have reduced water use through initiatives such as:
- Recirculating water in certain processes
- Repairing and upgrading equipmen
- Adjusting water use during non-production hours and sanitation
- Installing lower-flow sanitation guns and aerators at handwashing stations that maintain food safety standards
Improving water quality in our supply chain
In 2025, we continued to participate in the Lake Winnipeg Basin Water Stewardship Project along with the following partners: Nutrien, Syngenta, the J.R. Simplot Company, Potato Sustainability Alliance, Cargill and Ducks Unlimited Canada. With facilities and sourcing regions located throughout the Lake Winnipeg Basin, we both impact and depend on this critical ecosystem, making our support for initiatives like this essential.
This project engaged more than 40,000 acres across four farms to identify, measure and document year-over-year outcomes of applying water stewardship practices on farm. We will continue to support this project in 2026 and together with other partners and stakeholders, are exploring how it can be scaled.
The potential benefits of this program include:
- Improving the health of local watersheds and ecosystems.
- Strengthening the resilience and reliability of our supply chain.
- Aligning our actions with our sustainability goals and focusing on areas where we have the greatest impacts and dependencies.
- Supporting farmers through water savings, reduced risks and improved crop productivity.
- Contributing to water stewardship efforts with local governments and communities.
Integrated Report
We’re documenting and calculating all the changes we’re making. See our progress in our 2025 Integrated Report.