By Suanne Klahorst, Contributing Editor
The simple definition for sustainable food? Good, clean and fair. That means good for you and the environment, uncontaminated, and produced without harm. It’s the underlying details that get complicated: earth and atmospheric sciences, agricultural economics, labor and social justice. Consumers who buy green in the future will find new ethics added to the sustainable label faster than they can comprehend their implications.
A 2008 survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C., revealed the top foodservice trends to watch in 2009, and a handful of the top 20 have ties to “green” and sustainable issues: locally grown produce (No. 1), organic produce (No. 3), sustainable seafood (No. 10), and free-range poultry and pork (No. 20).
Organic wine hit that list at No. 18—and biodynamic wine is also making some waves. Elizabeth Candelario, marketing director, Demeter Association, Philomath, OR, notes the number of member wineries they certify as biodynamic has grown from around 12 in 1997 to approximately 60 in 2009, and overall membership in all farm categories has tripled in last 3 years.
Other concepts hitting the industry’s radar include humane treatment of livestock, saving energy and fair trade.
Collectively, these initiatives paint an undeniably greener future for food—and those who make the food industry their home may find themselves facing these issues sooner than they think.
The Scope of Local Food
Ever since the emergence of local food and locavores, culinary professionals have been at the forefront of the cause. Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of New York’s Blue Hill restaurants—as well as local-food proponent and biodynamic farmer—was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most-influential people in the world for 2009, and the profile in the magazine was penned by Ferran Adrià. Lesser-known chefs from New York to San Francisco also have delved into the ethos of local foods.
That doesn’t mean that all chef-philosophers agree on what “local” means. Thomas Keller—the chef and restaurateur behind The French Laundry, Per Se and Bouchon, among others—trains his chefs to begin their menus with the harvest. He insists that they pick their own produce, a practice he says develops respect for food. However, he notes that his loyalties are not always local, but rather “locale,” ordering lobsters from Maine, butter from Vermont and lamb from Pennsylvania. Frequently, the ingredients come from nearby gardens, as well.