POM Wonderful earns Upcycled Certification
Wonderful, the worldwide leader of California-grown pomegranates and No. 1 pomegranate juice in North America, announced its liquid pomegranate extract, POMxL, has become Upcycled Certified. The world’s first third-party certification program for upcycled food ingredients and products, receiving Upcycled Certification reinforces POM Wonderful’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and continuous product innovation.
POMxL is made under POM Wonderful’s Specialty Ingredients division, which provides raw ingredients to suppliers across the food and beverage industry.
POMxL is made from 100 percent upcycled material using the rinds of pomegranate fruit. POM Wonderful uses a proprietary method to press whole pomegranates to create POM 100 percent Pomegranate Juice.
After the initial press, the crushed rinds are then pressure extracted — without the use of harsh chemicals — and concentrated, resulting in a liquid extract containing pomegranate polyphenol antioxidants.
“As an agriculture company, we are hyper-focused on minimizing our impact on the environment and maximizing the benefits from each fruit in the pursuit of a zero-waste future,” said Jason Horvath, sales manager for POM Wonderful Specialty Ingredients. “We are proud to provide products that result in healthier food choices, while solving a climate need for waste reduction.”
Beyond being a key ingredient in POM Wonderful’s Antioxidant Super Tea, POMxL can be used in a variety of applications, including beverages, plant-based foods and beauty products. In addition to its clean label and Upcycled Certification, POMxL as an ingredient can help suppliers reduce sodium and sugar, enhance color, flavor and texture, and add antioxidant goodness.
Last year, POM Wonderful transitioned all its 16-ounce bottles of POM Wonderful juices to 100 percent rPET (recycled plastic) and completed work on its solar farm, which provides more than 90 percent of the company’s electricity needs for its Del Rey, CA, processing facility. In 2020, POM Wonderful launched the Innovation Challenge, offering $1 million in funding and development resources to innovators who could develop an economical and environmentally friendly solution to upcycle its 50,000 tons of pomegranate husks.
To date, The Wonderful Company and its owners, Stewart and Lynda Resnick, have invested more than $1.3 billion in
environmental sustainability initiatives to help fight climate change. This commitment includes the historic $750 million gift from the Resnicks to the California Institute of Technology in support of the school’s environmental sustainability research.
