Sustainable minds
My plate has been piled high lately with the main dish being sustainability, the sides are changes consumers want to see in the world, and the ingredients are actions industry can take.
The articles cooked up for me relate to food, nutrition, and the environment.
Whether you’re interested in seeing a shift in the way we grow, distribute and consume food, help consumers have a zero-waste kitchen, learn about palm oil’s ecological impacts, or even eat meat sustainably, I’ve found some insight in another recent development.
The global environmental crisis won’t be fixed by starting a compost pile. Yet, in taking a position in an action such as composting, you can see how people’s relationship with the food they eat, the land they occupy, and that within their community may begin to shift.
Momentum has been building for some time around brands and their purpose – a reason to exist beyond making money. Now, given research published by Kerry, we have to acknowledge that it’s no longer acceptable or smart to ignore sustainability in business.
It should be of considerable interest to the food and drink community that a key finding in its Sustainability in action report shows 49% of consumers are now considering sustainability when buying food and drink and that their understanding of the issue is evolving from environmental and social responsibility to including sustainable wellbeing and sustainable nutrition. .
What is called “eco-wakening” (by the Word Economic Forum) is top-of-mind for consumers around the globe, with the research revealing that 84% of consumers believe it is important for each person to contribute to sustainability.
This shift is essential for healing the rift between humanity and the planet.
Sustainability can no longer be dismissed as a fad. It’s a mindset and lifestyle now. It’s a political demand too.
Consumers are looking for companies that can commit to protecting nature and natural systems. Brands that deliver on such a pursuit of purpose, that drive a culture of sustainable innovation, can be winners in consumers’ eyes. Don’t think they aren’t watching.
Let’s get cooking!
- Rodney Jack, editor, Food & Drink Technology.
Keep in touch via email: rodney@bellpublishing.com
Twitter: @foodanddrinktec or LinkedIn: Food & Drink Technology magazine.
