Talking Sustainability With Organic Monitor

By Douglas J. Peckenpaugh, Culinary Editor & Community Director of Content

Every so often in our industry, we experience a galvanizing movement that unavoidably begins changing the face of the entire industrya synergizing coalescence of factors that truly becomes more than the sum of its individual parts. A game-changer.

Today, that movement is sustainability. Most major manufacturers have established at least the rudimentary beginnings of a corporate sustainability policy, if not comprehensive manifestos on the subjectand if you haven't, now's the time to face the unavoidable fact that in order to effectively conduct business in today's market, and indefinitely moving forward, a clearly outlined sustainability analysis will be required reading.

One company that understands the gestalt-blowing reality of sustainability is Organic Monitor, a research, consulting, training and event-planning firm responsible for the organization of a number of summits on sustainabilityone of which will take place in San Francisco on Jan. 17 to 18. I recently spoke with Amarjit Sahota, the president of Organic Monitor, on a range of subjects related to sustainability and the food industry. Here are some highlights.

Douglas J. Peckenpaugh: What do you see as the biggest challenge for the food industry when it comes to sustainability?

Amarjit Sahota: We see the biggest challenge as resources: the need for more water, inputs and land. Because of rising prices of agricultural inputs and growing scarcity of land, food inflation is occurring. This is leading to other issues, such as food security and food poverty.

DJP: What are some of the biggest achievements that the food industry has accomplished in terms of becoming more sustainable?

AS: A number of achievements have been made in the last 20 years. One of the major ones is greater accountability: Food companies and retailers are becoming more accountable for their environmental and social footprints. Partly because of the growing importance of CSR [corporate social responsibility] and pressure from the media, food companies and retailers are becoming "responsible corporate citizens." They are taking more responsibility in terms of ethical sourcing, reducing packaging, reducing carbon emissions, water usage, etc.

DJP: As companies craft their sustainability initiatives, it seems like everyone has their own definition of what "sustainable" means. Where can a company, such as a food or ingredient manufacturer, go to find a comprehensive definition of sustainability?

AS: There is no universal definition of sustainability per se for the food industry. Sustainability is a concept, and this is why it is open to interpretation. The important thing is that companies should realize its importance and take some sustainability actions whether it be reducing environmental footprint, creating positive social impacts, or corporate philanthropy.

DJP: How are retail food product manufacturers communicating their corporate sustainability initiatives on the product's packaging? Do you see this as a useful to the consumer?

AS: At the retail side, there are a number of ways to communicate to consumers. Unfortunately, there seems to be no holistic way of stating the ecological and social footprint of food and beverage products. Until now, it has been through certification logos (organic, fair trade, Rainforest Alliance, etc.), carbon footprints, or other eco-labels. However, these eco-labels tend to represent some sustainability feature in isolation. This is why mobile technology applications like GoodGuide can play an important role: they can give various sustainability criteria that is not possible to place on product packaging.

DJP: What is the biggest challenge to implementation of quick-response (QR) code usage?

AS: We see a major challenge as proliferation in mobile applications. If there are a number of applications and product rating systems, then consumer confusion will occur as they will get varying product ratings depending on the application they use. However, if there becomes one standard application with one major rating system, then the system will work very well.

DJP: When it comes to "de-commodified" ingredients, how important is organic production and fair trade certification? What about a company's carbon footprint? Are all of these criteria weighted equally, or is one more important than another?

AS: When it comes to de-commoditisation of ingredients, the most popular methods have been organic, fair trade, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified. These are popular because consumers have strong awareness (and thus demand) of these eco-labels/production systems. Although climate change is high on consumers minds, there is no universal or widely accepted carbon eco-label. Until now, most carbon labels have had small adoption rates. Until they gain higher adoption rates, organic and fair trade and other labels will prevail.

DJP: What is your perspective on "natural"? Does "natural" ingredient sourcing, processing, etc. factor into sustainability concerns?

AS: Natural is very similar to sustainability in that they are not clearly defined. The major advantage organic, fair trade and other concepts have is they are tightly defined and the standards are quite robust. This is why there are few eco-labels/standards for natural products and the adoption rates are low. In general, most natural standards look at avoiding or excluding synthetic ingredients and sustainability is not really a consideration.

DJP: Does organic certification carry the same weight in other countries as it does in the United States?

AS: Organic carries very high weight in the U.S. and Europe because the labels/production systems are regulated. They are also important in other countries like Japan, Australia, China and India where they have national regulations. However, the organic labels does not carry the same weight in countries without any national regulations.

DJP: Can you provide some examples of "sustainable proteins" used in food and beverage manufacturing?

AS: There are various types of sustainable proteins. The simplest form would be soy, legumes and other meat alternatives, as they have lower environmental footprints than animal-based proteins. However, organic meats and other eco-labeled meats can also be considered sustainable proteins as they have lower environmental footprint than conventional meats.

DJP: How can the choice of packaging help reduce wastage of food in a foodservice or food manufacturing environment?

AS: The choice of packaging materials has a major impact on the lifetime of the finished product. By extending the lifetime, there is less wastage and more efficiency. The choice of packaging material also has an important role in the footprint of the finished product, e.g., glass can be reused, paper can go into waste streams where plastics go to landfill.

The Sustainable Foods Summit will take place in San Francisco on Jan. 17 and 18. Complete details, including the agenda and registration information, are available online .