John B. Sanfilippo & Son Elgin Facility Recycles 4.7 Million Pounds of Materials; Hopes to Inspire Others to Respect the Earth

Helping to preserve the Earth’s resources is important to John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. (www.JBSSinc.com)(NASDAQ: JBSS), a leading food processor, packager, marketer and distributor of shelled and in-shell nuts and nut-based snacks. The company’s environmental vision is: “To reduce our impact on the world’s resources today and for future generations by being socially and environmentally responsible in our actions, our practices and our decision-making.”

In the past year, JBSS developed corporate and local resource conservation teams with leaders at its Elgin, Illinois headquarters and in each of its plant communities. The company conducts annual energy assessments at each of its plants, which establishes a baseline and both short-term and long-term goals to reduce its utility usage for water, nitrogen, electricity and gas. In order to measure and document its progress, the company initiated the use of scorecards for each location. From calendar year 2008 to 2009, 80% of the facilities demonstrated a reduction from 7% to 26%.

One example of JBSS’ environmental achievements in the last year is its Earth-friendly packaging for the Fisher® Chef’s Naturals baking nut line and for the Fisher snack and baking products in its food service channel. Now, a portion of the packaging for these product lines is comprised of 35 percent of renewable resources, instead of oil. Processing these packages with sustainable materials helps save the environment up to 34,000 gallons of gasoline every year.*

For the company’s overall environmental strategy, JBSS is actively implementing the following initiatives:

• Sustainability – Select packaging is being converted with a portion processed with sustainable materials. For example, packaging for Fisher’s baking nuts is now comprised of 35% plant-based film structures. In addition, all corrugated boxes are being purchased through Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certified vendors.
• Recycling – Internal recycling and conservation programs have been instituted. JBSS is now recycling packaging film, water, plastics, product waste, paper, PET jars and corrugated materials. At JBSS headquarters in Elgin, 5.0 million pounds of materials were recycled in 2009.
• Water Savings: JBSS achieved a 9% reduction in water usage from calendar 2008 to 2009.
• Energy: JBSS also completed lighting fixture retrofits at several facilities with an expected reduction in energy by 903,000 kW.
• Lightweighting – JBSS is currently working with vendors to lightweight their core snack can program, which will eliminate 40% of the can’s weight versus a traditional composite can.
• Manufacturing – Energy and waste reduction initiatives have been identified at every plant and JBSS is actively working to decrease waste.

“We are happy with the progress our company has made toward our resource conservation efforts,” said Jasper Sanfilippo, Jr., President and Chief Operating Officer of JBSS. “We will continue to focus our efforts on energy management, raising awareness both internally and externally. We also will continue to optimize our packaging systems and work with suppliers to implement their own resource conservation programs.”

Consumers can help reduce their own food waste by following with these simple tips from www.myzerowaste.com:

• Keep a healthy fridge
  • Check that the seals on your fridge are good and check the fridge temperature too. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service states that food should be kept at 40◦ or below1.
• Don't throw food away!
  • Fruit that is just going soft can be made into smoothies or fruit pies. Vegetables that are beginning to wilt can be made into soup.
• Serve small portions
  • Serve small amounts of food with the understanding that everyone can return for more once their plate is clean.
• Buy what you need
  • Buy loose fruits and vegetables so that you can buy the exact amount needed. Choose meats and cheese from a deli so that you can buy what you want.
• Use a compost bin to feed houseplants or the garden
  • If you have cooked food waste, then a kitchen composter will do the trick. Just feed it with your scraps (even fish and meat in it), sprinkle over a layer of special microbes and leave to ferment. The resulting product can be used on houseplants and in the garden.

For more information about JBSS’ ongoing environmental efforts, visit www.jbssinc.com.

About John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., (NASDAQ: JBSS), founded in 1922, is a leading processor, marketer and distributor of shelled and in-shell nuts and extruded snacks that are sold in multiple distribution channels. Their products can be found under the company’s Fisher and Sunshine Country brand names and under a variety of private labels.

For more information about Fisher products visit www.fishernuts.com. Join our Facebook Fan community at www.facebook.com/fishernutsbrand.

1http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/refrigeration_&_food_safety/index.asp#3