What is sustainable food?

In order to create a sustainable food program, it is naturally essential to first understand what actually is meant by sustainable food and what are it’s basic aspects. Sustainability in general is about seeking ways of providing food, water and energy that are long-lasting and have less of an impact on the environment. Sustainability in food therefore becomes an issue for anything from food production and transportation to its disposal. It is not just one project, but a long lasting way of doing things. There is no legal definition, but basically sustainable food should be produced, processed and traded in ways that it

- contributes to thriving local economies and sustainable livelihoods
- avoids damaging natural resources and contributing to climate change
- protects the diversity of both plants and animals
- provides social benefits, such as good quality food, safe and healthy products, and educational opportunities

Sustainable food should be produced close to home to a greatest possible extent, so that it is fresh and seasonal and also supports local economies. In addition, when food is produced locally, the need for transportation and energy use in food production is minimal, and thus pollution and contributing to climate change is minimised. Being as local as possible makes also good business sense, as consumers are more and more aware of environmental issues and wants to buy locally produced sustainable food, to feel better. So, when restaurant uses locally produced food, that’s arguably socially, ecologically and economically sustainable – it supports local economies, minimises negative impacts on the environment, and gets competitive advantage in business. However, being local isn’t the only aspect of sustainable food, although it’s probably the most important. According to a website dedicated to sustainability in food, the seven principles of sustainable food – which I found rather good and true - are:

1. Use local, seasonally available ingredients, to minimise energy used in food production.
2. Specify food from farming systems that minimise harm to the environment such as certified organic produce.
3. Limit food of animal origin served, as livestock farming is one of the most significant contributors to the climate change.
4. Exclude fish species identified as most “at risk” by The Marine Conservation Society. The Marine Conservation Society has a list of the fishes that should be avoided in order to achieve sustainability, and a list of fishes ok to serve.
Avoid list: http://www.fishonline.org/advice/avoid/
Eat list: http://www.fishonline.org/advice/eat/.
5. Choose Fair Trade certified products for imported food and drinks.
6. Avoid bottled water and instead serve filtered tap water in reusable jugs or bottles.
7. Promote health and wellbeing by cooking with generous portions of vegetables, fruits and starchy staples like wholegrains, cutting down on salt, fats and oils, and cutting out artificial additives.

In addition, one shouldn’t forget the importance of waste management as a part of sustainable food program. A significant part of the waste in the world comes from food production, and it is crucial to try to minimise the waste the company produces. Ways to do this include for example recycling, using recycled products, composting and cutting down the amount of excess packaging, as well as simply cut down food waste.

Soon I will write here where The Schoolhouse currently is when it comes to the principles above.

There are many reasons for a restaurant to have a sustainable food program, in addition to the fact that it is a right thing to do given the current condition of our world. First of all, various surveys show that that is what customers increasingly want today, people want to feel good about themselves and are really paying attention to these things. Being able to tell customers an engaging story about where your ingredients come from can give you a competitive advantage, helping you to attract new customers to your business, and keep them coming back. Incorporating local and seasonal produce into your menu, perhaps in the form of daily or weekly specials, or seasonal variations to standard menu items, can liven up your menu and keep your customers coming back for more. Also, buying food locally, or growing yourself, means fresher and better quality product. You can also develop closer relationship with local producers which eventually can mean better and more reliable service.

So here is a little something about what is sustainable food. Of course, it is not as simple in reality, but you have to simplify it a bit in order to get the process started. Keep it simple.