Customer testimonials
Food waste: CTCPA trains Antartic II to implement a diagnosis and methodology that complies with regulations and improves site performance!
15
Jan
Published on: January 15, 2026
The CTCPA supported the Antartic II production unit with training on "Taking action against food waste" in order to establish an effective diagnostic and methodology for reducing waste and improving site performance. We speak with Fabrice AYMARD, Sustainable Development Quality Manager at Antartic II.
"The results are very positive. Thanks to the support of the CTCPA, we now have a clear, operational method that is recognized by the authorities."
Introduce yourself Antarctic II: structure, vision, values, products, etc.
Antartic II, founded in 1986, is one of the production units of the Agromousquetaires group, the industrial branch of Intermarché. Located in Charmes-sur-Rhône in Ardèche, the factory operates continuously throughout the year and employs between 230 and 250 people. It occupies a central place in the Agromousquetaires ecosystem thanks to the diversity of its activities: manufacturing and packaging breakfast cereals, savory snacks, baking aids, dried fruit, rice, couscous, pulses, peppers, herbs, spices, and culinary blends. The site also has a B2B business mixing technological ingredients for other units within the group. Its main customer is Intermarché, with more than 100 million units produced each year and a turnover exceeding €100 million.
Although the site does not have a formal CSR policy, it relies on an environmental management system that includes monitoring indicators, sorting and recycling initiatives, and production bottleneck management. The issue of food waste has naturally become part of this drive for continuous improvement and control of environmental impacts.
How did you come to contact the CTCPA? What were your needs? What were your objectives?
The appeal to the CTCPA follows a formal notice from the DREAL, the Regional Directorate for Environment, Planning, and Housing, which is responsible for monitoring and supporting companies in compliance with environmental and planning regulations. This formal notice, received in December 2024, required us to carry out and formalize a food waste assessment in accordance with the AGEC law within six months. Despite the many measures already in place on site, we did not have a structured method that fully met regulatory requirements. The diversity of our activities and the scale of our volumes quickly confirmed the need to call on external expertise capable of supporting us in a project of this magnitude.
Our objectives were to respond to the formal notice within the specified time frame, but also to take advantage of this constraint to lay the foundations for a sustainable approach. The challenge was to develop a method that was solid, reproducible, and robust enough to be deployed throughout the factory and serve as a real lever for industrial performance.
Why did you choose the CTCPA? How did you hear about the CTCPA?
The CTCPA was not unknown to us. I had already heard about it within Agromousquetaires, particularly during a training course held for the group in 2020 on packaging materials and related regulations. When we were looking for an organization capable of assisting us with a food waste assessment, the CTCPA naturally emerged as a credible and recognized player. From the very first discussions, the quality of Margaux Colombin's presentation and her quick understanding of our challenges confirmed our choice and convinced us that we were in good hands.
How did the support go?
The support consisted of two complementary parts: initial training on food waste provided by Margaux, followed by actual project management. Antartic II served as a pilot site for Agromousquetaires' CSR branch, which enabled both the site and the group to simultaneously develop their skills.
After the training, which included a theoretical component and field observation, we set up a steering committee to structure the project. Margaux demonstrated a great ability to adapt, modifying her initial plan to better suit our pace and the scope of the work. Her regular, brief, and effective interventions allowed us to move forward pragmatically, alternating between validating stages, internal work, and methodological consolidation. As the project progressed, I kept the DREAL informed and they quickly validated our method, which allowed us to finalize the diagnosis on schedule. The project then naturally shifted to a continuous improvement approach to be rolled out across the entire plant by 2027.
What is your assessment today? How do you see the benefits of this support?
The results have been very positive. Thanks to the support of the CTCPA, we now have a clear, operational method that is recognized by the authorities. It has been integrated into our performance plan and now allows us to address food waste from both a regulatory and industrial perspective. This approach has also led us to rethink how we manage our invalid stocks and to structure effective internal communication on the subject. We have therefore created an educational workshop during the safety day dedicated to goods, people, and food, accompanied by fun materials and even a video produced with a production company.
This dynamic has helped raise awareness among all teams and place food waste within a broader context of performance and continuous improvement. The project has also strengthened our environmental maturity and opened up prospects for the possible future structuring of a CSR policy.
What are your next goals or announcements?
The next step is to fully deploy the methodology across all site activities and gradually involve all relevant departments. We are moving away from project mode and fully embracing a culture of performance and continuous improvement. Other developments are under consideration, including a possible transfer of monitoring to the industrial performance team, which would confirm the long-term nature of the approach. In addition, this experience has paved the way for a more comprehensive reflection on the formalization of a CSR policy, a subject that we are now approaching with greater clarity and ambition.
It should be noted that the site is currently undergoing a transfer process by Intermarché, which adds a particular context to these developments. Nevertheless, the method and the achievements are now well established and will continue to structure our operations, whatever our future may hold.
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CONTACT ANTARTIC II:
"The results are very positive. Thanks to the support of the CTCPA, we now have a clear, operational method that is recognized by the authorities."
Introduce yourself Antarctic II: structure, vision, values, products, etc.
Antartic II, founded in 1986, is one of the production units of the Agromousquetaires group, the industrial branch of Intermarché. Located in Charmes-sur-Rhône in Ardèche, the factory operates continuously throughout the year and employs between 230 and 250 people. It occupies a central place in the Agromousquetaires ecosystem thanks to the diversity of its activities: manufacturing and packaging breakfast cereals, savory snacks, baking aids, dried fruit, rice, couscous, pulses, peppers, herbs, spices, and culinary blends. The site also has a B2B business mixing technological ingredients for other units within the group. Its main customer is Intermarché, with more than 100 million units produced each year and a turnover exceeding €100 million.
Although the site does not have a formal CSR policy, it relies on an environmental management system that includes monitoring indicators, sorting and recycling initiatives, and production bottleneck management. The issue of food waste has naturally become part of this drive for continuous improvement and control of environmental impacts.
How did you come to contact the CTCPA? What were your needs? What were your objectives?
The appeal to the CTCPA follows a formal notice from the DREAL, the Regional Directorate for Environment, Planning, and Housing, which is responsible for monitoring and supporting companies in compliance with environmental and planning regulations. This formal notice, received in December 2024, required us to carry out and formalize a food waste assessment in accordance with the AGEC law within six months. Despite the many measures already in place on site, we did not have a structured method that fully met regulatory requirements. The diversity of our activities and the scale of our volumes quickly confirmed the need to call on external expertise capable of supporting us in a project of this magnitude.
Our objectives were to respond to the formal notice within the specified time frame, but also to take advantage of this constraint to lay the foundations for a sustainable approach. The challenge was to develop a method that was solid, reproducible, and robust enough to be deployed throughout the factory and serve as a real lever for industrial performance.
Why did you choose the CTCPA? How did you hear about the CTCPA?
The CTCPA was not unknown to us. I had already heard about it within Agromousquetaires, particularly during a training course held for the group in 2020 on packaging materials and related regulations. When we were looking for an organization capable of assisting us with a food waste assessment, the CTCPA naturally emerged as a credible and recognized player. From the very first discussions, the quality of Margaux Colombin's presentation and her quick understanding of our challenges confirmed our choice and convinced us that we were in good hands.
How did the support go?
The support consisted of two complementary parts: initial training on food waste provided by Margaux, followed by actual project management. Antartic II served as a pilot site for Agromousquetaires' CSR branch, which enabled both the site and the group to simultaneously develop their skills.
After the training, which included a theoretical component and field observation, we set up a steering committee to structure the project. Margaux demonstrated a great ability to adapt, modifying her initial plan to better suit our pace and the scope of the work. Her regular, brief, and effective interventions allowed us to move forward pragmatically, alternating between validating stages, internal work, and methodological consolidation. As the project progressed, I kept the DREAL informed and they quickly validated our method, which allowed us to finalize the diagnosis on schedule. The project then naturally shifted to a continuous improvement approach to be rolled out across the entire plant by 2027.
What is your assessment today? How do you see the benefits of this support?
The results have been very positive. Thanks to the support of the CTCPA, we now have a clear, operational method that is recognized by the authorities. It has been integrated into our performance plan and now allows us to address food waste from both a regulatory and industrial perspective. This approach has also led us to rethink how we manage our invalid stocks and to structure effective internal communication on the subject. We have therefore created an educational workshop during the safety day dedicated to goods, people, and food, accompanied by fun materials and even a video produced with a production company.
This dynamic has helped raise awareness among all teams and place food waste within a broader context of performance and continuous improvement. The project has also strengthened our environmental maturity and opened up prospects for the possible future structuring of a CSR policy.
What are your next goals or announcements?
The next step is to fully deploy the methodology across all site activities and gradually involve all relevant departments. We are moving away from project mode and fully embracing a culture of performance and continuous improvement. Other developments are under consideration, including a possible transfer of monitoring to the industrial performance team, which would confirm the long-term nature of the approach. In addition, this experience has paved the way for a more comprehensive reflection on the formalization of a CSR policy, a subject that we are now approaching with greater clarity and ambition.
It should be noted that the site is currently undergoing a transfer process by Intermarché, which adds a particular context to these developments. Nevertheless, the method and the achievements are now well established and will continue to structure our operations, whatever our future may hold.
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