• A once subtle shift is now occurring at an accelerated
rate
• Consumer awareness concerning where our food
comes from is growing at a rapid rate
• Creating a radical shift in the food industry
• Ethically produced food has become a mass-market
phenomenon
• Ethical issues are emerging around production and
packaging
• Unilever CEO Paul Polman called for radical
changes in the system of food production.
• "Based on UN projections, there will be 3bn
extra mouths to feed by 2050, which equates
to 70% more food than we're currently
producing," Polman said & suggest 4 core
proposals to tackle the dilemma:
– The widespread adoption of sustainable farming
practices;
– Government commitment to investment in
agriculture;
– The removal of "market-distorting subsidies and
incentives";
– The freedom to trade without barriers
• conscious consumer groups, corporate
vendors & professional associations
• informative web-sites
• shifts in organic farming & sales
• mass production of “ethical food”
• a flood of new terms defining food
• conscious options on menus
• conscious restaurant concepts
• Synthetic fertilizers introduced to farming (1940s)
making possible mass production
• Uses of Corn-cheap feed to creatively arranged
molecules comprising product “ingredients”
• Subsidized crops creating commodity food
• Mono-cultures (corn, soy, CAFCO)*
• Altering animals diets to corn (instead of pasture
feed) or from an herbivore to an omnivore even
cannibalistic
• GMOs lead to more yield
• Monsanto patents life (round-up ready seed)
• Results:
– An over abundance of the species pest –more
pesticides needed to control it
– Soil depletion-need for fertilizers
– Weed overgrowth-need for weed killer
– New disease causing bacteria (E. Coli)-need for
antibiotics and or more chemicals
– Pollution and Waste (synthetic nitrogen &
manure)
– A few companies have power *
– Dependent on inputs (oil, feed, chemicals…
– More vulnerable
– Control over farmers (seeds, chicken houses…)
Factory Farms & CAFCO
• run like a factory -actually require about 50
gallons of oil (form of chemical fertilizers) per
acre of corn or more than one calorie of fossil
fuel for 1 calorie of food.
• Factory farms are ecologically expensive but
economically cheap.
• Animals feed: liquefied fat, corn & grains
• Growth Hormones are injected to increase
yield and shorten growth time
Organic Farming
• Movement (1943) to Big Business(1990s)
– the organic farming movement began at the same
time the industrialized farming was being
developed in response to chemicals being
introduced to farming
Used a systems approach- mimicking naturesustainable
– Government regulation of organic begins
• After a long process (7 yrs), in 1997 a vague definition
of organic allows for GMOs, sewage sludge &
irradiation
• Standards continued to be modified as “the old
movement & “the new industry” battle it out
Result
• A definition that supports a more
environmentally responsible kind of farming
but it still allows room for isolation thinking
instead of systems approach thinking.
Understanding terms
meat, poultry, egg and dairy come
from animals that are given no anti-biotics, steroids or
growth hormones. It is produced without using
conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic
ingredients or sewage, bioengineering or ionization
radiation. Organic food is produced by farmers who
emphasize the use of renewable resources, the
conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental
quality for future generations.
• Federal law strictly prohibits synthetic additives in
organic foods unless the additive appears on the
USDA’s National Organic Program’s list of allowed
substances. Ingredients are included on this list only
after careful review and approval by the National
Organic Standards Board (NOSB), an expert advisory
panel, and the Secretary of Agriculture.
National Organic Standards Board
(NOSB)
• http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOSB
• Recommendations made by the NOSB are not
official policy until they are approved and
adopted by USDA.
• The current board is comprised of: 4
farmers/growers, 2 handlers/processors, 1
retailer, 1 scientist, 3 consumer/public interest
advocates, 3 environmentalists, & 1 USDA
accredited certifying agent. Members come
from all four U.S. regions.
• Small organic farmers into mainstream
production
• Big Corporations are buying organic farms
• Stoneyfield Farm, owned by Dannon-a $365 million organic
yogurt manufacturer and the biggest in the country
• Cascadian Farms, now a subsidiary of General Mills, acquires
Muir Glenn
• Organic sales in 2009 represented a 5.1 percent
growth over 2008 sales
– indicating the consumers’ preference and priority for conscious food even during
the economic recession
• Industrial organic farms are dominating the market
(based on high yields and isolation thinking)
Organic/Local Farming
• Farmers Market
– Growth: from 1994 to 2010 –a 249% increase.
And from 2009 to 2010 -a 16% increase
• Farming Alliances
– Good Nature Family Farms- an alliance of 75
farmers in Kansas City, MO they sell their products
to independent grocery stores
• Sustainable Farming
• Urban Farms (usually sustainable)
Farming practices compared
Industrial
Industrial Organic
Organic
Sustainable
Monoculture
Monoculture
Polyculture
Polyculture
High volumes of
Waste
Medium volumes of Minimal waste
Waste
No waste
Fossil Energy
Significantly less
fossil (No synthetic
fertilizers)
Could be a
combination
Alternative
Global Market
National Market
Local Market
Local Market
Specialized
Specialized
Either
Diversified
Mechanical
Mechanical
Either
Biological
Synthetic Pesticides
Organic Pesticides
Organic Pesticides
Local (Nature)
Synthetic fertility
Organic fertilizers
Organic fertilizers
Local fertility
Isolation
Isolation
Either
Systems Approach
• It has been proven that a medium size
sustainable organic farm is far more
productive per acre than industrial agriculture
(costs: feed, fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics,
growth hormones, waste management,
petroleum)
• Science supports:
– Polycultures are more productive & less prone to
disease
– Plants grown in synthetically fertilized soils are:
• less nourishing than those grown in composted soil
• more vulnerable to diseases and insect pests
“ How we farm & ultimately our food choices
are ethical questions”
-Joel Salatin, Polyface farms
• He makes $3,000 an acre VS. $150 an acre for
industrial farms
• He has not planted a chemical fertilizer or
bought a seed in 50 years.
• He is not an organic farm but he is a
sustainable farm
Understanding terms
: “an integrated system of
plant and animal production practices having a sitespecific application that will, over the long term, satisfy
human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental
quality and the natural resource base upon which the
agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient
use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources
and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological
cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of
farm operations; and enhance the quality of life for
farmers and society as a whole.”
• “Growing meat on grasses makes perfect
ecological sense a sustainable –solar powered
food chain that produces food by transforming
sunlight to protein.”
- Micahel Pollan The Ominvores Dilema p. 70
• Industrial processing has made energy dense
food the cheapest to buy-cheapest calories
are the unhealthiest
– $1 buys 1200 calories of potato chips
– $1 buys 250 calories of carrots
• Isotope comparison tests show Americans are
mostly corn and more so than any other
culture*
WHY we consist of so much corn?
• Corn feeds our meat (cow, pig, turkey,
lamb…even fish!)
• Corn feeds our dairy (cheese, milk…)
• Corn in various intricate manifestations
(sweetener, preservative, leavening agent,
flour, oil…) is most of our processed foods
• Some 45,000 items in the avg. American
supermarket and more than a quarter contain
corn.
• Just as we see in nature with monocultures,
the same is true for “monodiets”
• We eat what the animal eats (corn, oil,
liquefied fat, hormones, antibiotics…)
• Most chemically or synthetically modified
foods are not recognized as food by our
bodies systems*
• Result:
– Disease: increase in variety & growth rates
– Resistance to antibiotics
– New allergies
Independent parts: Human (farmer, worker,
consumer, government) Land, and Animals
Goal: to economically (affordable and at a profit)
produce enough food to feed the population
while take caring of the health of the
environment, human, animal and community
• By design it will flow (operate) as a harmonious
system with all constituents (internal & external) as
one. All decision are made to maintain this flow
(based on how it impacts each constituent, not in
isolation)
• If you want to observe a system that operates in flow
and harmony with itself-observe nature.
Respondents agree to the following criteria for
ethical food:
• avoid harming the environment
• meet high safety standards
• use environmentally sustainable practices
• avoid inhumane treatment of animals
• be produced to high quality standards
• Ethical food accounts for a small percentage of
the total food produced yet there seems to be a
growing number of “so-claimed” ethical food
products being sold on the market.
Why are you selling ethical food?
• Is the foodservice operation selling an ethical
food because they believe in the product or as
a business decision in response to consumer
demand?
• If based on a belief you will want to make
ethical choices around that belief. In order to
do so:
– understand the terminology & it real meaning
– Learn how to read labels & seek out the
information you want to know about a product.
• not all emerging terms defining ethical food
are being used in an ethical manner & most
are unregulated, unmonitored and/or the
definition is vague or minimal
– claims of “free-range” in reality can mean the birds
stay indoors because their access to the outdoors is
inadequate or their foods source is inside
–"
" meanwhile, is defined by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture only as "minimally
processed" with no artificial ingredients or colors.
Regulated only for meat
Understanding terms
: for pasture fed animals, grass
is the forage that composes all or at least the great
majority of their diet. Cattle fattened in feedlots are
fed small amounts of hay or straw supplemented
with grain, soy and other ingredients in order to
increase the energy density of the diet
: USDA certified access to the outdoors.
Great in theory but reality is: Few chickens choose
this option since-1. Food, water and flock remain
indoors 2. Doors remains shut first 5 weeks of life
until settled in their indoor habit
“ethical food” (or not) in the
marketplace
• Some restaurants have been caught claiming
their food product is locally sourced when in
reality they are purchasing 1 or 2 boxes of the
food from the local farm and 10 from the
commercial supplier
• Some suppliers have been caught using terms
in a misleading manner or certification
violations
• restaurants build their image around
conscious food
– Chipotle Mexican Grill
– Elevation Burger
– Ted’s Montana Grill
– Bon Appétit Management
– Wolfgang Puck Companies
– Pizza Fusion
– Seller’s market
• Dean Foods, includes a synthetic nutritional oil that
is prohibited in organics. The product, Horizon FatFree Milk Plus DHA Omega-3, bears the USDA
organic seal despite a ruling in 2010 by the USDA
that the proprietary DHA oil, an ingredient derived
from algae, is not legal in organic production
• Hearthside Food Solutions manufacturer of Peace
Cereal, claims “natural” breakfast cereals are grown
and processed without pesticides or artificial
additives, as well as being minimally processed and
preservative-free.”
• The slow food movement’s rapid growth
(20,000 from 2008 to 2010) Started in Italy in
1989 and now globally has more than 100,000
members in 50 countries
• Mission-to educate consumers on land
stewardship and ecologically sound food
production; cooking to strengthen
relationships between people; further
consumption of organic, local, seasonal food;
and create collaborative ecologically oriented
community
• DEMONSTRATES A SHIFT IN CONSUMER
BEHAVIOR AND A CALL TO ACTION
• The FreshPoint produce division has a
partnership with Produce Marketing Association
(PMA) & PrimusLabs that takes local produce
safety directly to small framers interested in
selling through the foodservice channel.
• Educating small farmers on food safety
mandates and how to build a solid food safety
program that meets distributor and operator
requirements.
• Foodservice 2020 Initiative: goal is to increase
fresh produce use in restaurants
– Educate the buyers (operators and distributors)
• basic care handling techniques that can enhance flavor
& food safety
– Packaging that protects against contamination
– Seeds that protect against E.coli
• how produce can lower plate costs
• formative web-sites that report on company
practices include:
– greenopia
• directory of eco-friendly retailers, services, and
organizations based on extensive unpaid/unbiased
research on those listed in the guide
– cornucopia institute
• organic egg scorecard rates companies that market
name-brand and private-label organic “shell” eggs
based on 22 criteria that are important to organic
consumers
informative web-sites
• The Eat Well Guide
– listings of farms, restaurants, and other
organizations that demonstrate a commitment to
food and farming that supports local food systems
including:
• Sustainable Organic Locally
sourced/distributed Ethically produced
• http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home
Cornucopia Institute
• Brands with a 1 egg rating: (produced on
industrial farms that house hundreds of
thousands of birds and do not grant the birds
meaningful outdoor access. )
• There are 33 organic eggs on the market with
a one rating
• Some familiar brands: Trader Joes, 365
organics by Whole foods, Kirkland Signature
by Costco, and Horizon
5 Rating
• Nationwide there are 36 companies with a
rating of 5 which are mostly isolated to an
area or state
• Only 5 in certain areas of CA:
– Northern California: Organic Pastures
& Alexandre Kids
– Other areas of CA: Full Circle Dairy, Elkhorn
Organics, & St. John Family Farm
Reading Labels
• Understand the terms
• Read ingredient labels not claims on the front!
– The longer the list the more additives, chemicals
and synthetic ingredients
• How many items do you have no idea what it is?
– “if you can not pronounce it don’t eat it”
• Ask yourself how many ingredients are needed to make
this product
– Ingredients are listed in the order of contribution
to the product
• Look for the ingredients claimed on the label in the
ingredient list (ie-multi-grain, oats, real cheese….)
Reading Labels
• Be aware of health by association (Cheerios
(banana nut) & Organic (with additives)
• Read nutrition information and compare to
claimed ingredients (almonds high in protein)
• Read nutrition information and portion size!
• Read unbiased product/company review
• Look for 3rd party certifications (Green Seal of
approval, certified organic, fair trade…)
• Read source (where and who)
Is it an Ethical Product?
–How is it packaged?
–Who Manufactures it?
–How is it disposed of?
–Are their any certifying bodies?
–How is it produced? (sustainable,
industrial, Organic, organic industrial,
belief based…)
–Are they using a Systems Approach?
• Considering that our industry plays a major
role in providing food for consumption to the
general population, we have a responsibility
to provide at minimum safe food all the way
to high quality nutritious food
• What responsibility do we have to provide
ethical food?
Ethical Food Purchasing
• Source: Where will you purchase your food?
Consider advantages & disadvantages of each
and justify your choice
– Farmers Market, Corporate Food Vendor, Direct
from Farm, Hyper-Local (Restaurant garden),
Urban Farm
• Parameters to assure Food safety (operators
and distributors)
– Transportation/Delivery
– Storage
– Packaging
Ethical Food Purchasing
• Based on where you purchase your food, how
does it change your food safety concerns
– FAT –TOM- Food, Acid, Time, Temperature,
Oxygen, and Moisture
EXAMPLE:
• farmers market purchases:
– Transportation
– Storage (packaging & label)
– Properly clean and wash food
sourcing locally, and organic
• Costs can be 10 to 20 percent more than
wholesale
• more limited and unpredictable (less
consistency)
– Quality
• Understand terms like "sustainable” ,"artisan”,
“organic”, “free-range”, “natural”….
– Quantity
• Do farms have a responsibility
to use farming practices that
produce ethical food?
• Does how we produce our
food affect our health?
• Can a farm produce ethical
food for the mass population
and still operate at a profit?
• Do restaurants have a
responsibility to the consumer
in regards to how the food is
grown? How it is produced?
Labeled?
• Is mass production organic
farming in support of the new
food revolution?
• Do food purchasers have a
right to know how their food
was grown beyond industry
defined terms?
• Is Ethical food an area of CSR
for restaurants?
• Does a claim on a menu have
to be true 100% of the time?
• Are the current definitions of
food terms clear or
misleading? What do they
mean? Should they be
regulated?
Case Study: