A look at the “green” grocery store: consumer choices, sustainability and eco-credentials
In a recent article by Scotland on Sunday, consumer choices and sustainability was discussed in terms of scientific and environmental concerns regarding the depletion of global food resources. According to shopper Ian Garner, he would not be bothered if supermarkets cut back on the range of available products. “I’d rather eat seasonally and locally anyway,” he said. “I don’t agree with food being flown around the world.“ This trend in local consumption has led green marketing and advertising to focus on locally-grown products and their green labels and “eco-credentials.”
So, what exactly are consumers saying about Sustainable foods and beverages? According to Natural Products Marketplace, considering the current intersection of sustainability awareness and financial downturn, “the market is ripe for food and beverage products that allow consumers to shop more sustainably, but also spend less money.”
Furthermore, from street vendors in New York to sustainability conferences in South Africa, issues of eco-branding and green labels on food products are demanding media attention. The movement of urban farming has also supported consumer’s demand for locally-grown food.
Finally, as reflected in the diversity of articles mentioned in this blog post, this global trend and its force has food and beverage brands rethinking agricultural resources and their locality.
Walmart’s recent campaign to promote life cycle transparency and sustainability certainly supports this argument.
What do you think?
Transporting food out of season from across the globe is ridiculous. For thousands of years we all ate what was indigenous to our local areas and what was in season. There is a lot of evidence that people from certain parts of the world do better with foods that are from their region..whether you are talking about Africa, Japan, or the Arctic…traditional food diets in people create better health. The Weston A. Price Foundation has done extensive writing and reasearch on this topic, if anyone is interested.
I think the larger problem comes from additives in food like high fructose corn syrups…chemical preservatives…flavorings and colorings…the manufacture of “food” that allows it to have stable shelf life far in excess of the original food that the end product was based on. It’s like eating something that has been embalmed, so it lasts forever…does anyone really think that has any nutritional value?
The blog post here basically gets at living locally, eating locally. That means fresh food, tight community, and not a lot of energy spent on transportation. Local food systems can be developed almost anywhere there is soil, water, and sunlight. The movement toward local living and eating is a good one, and hopefully one that drives people away from unhealthy choices of manufactured “food,” and that also creates an appreciation for in-season local foods.
In terms of the impact to advertising, it will be those brands that follow actions to support local messaging from local ingredients, and that phase out harmful ingredients before they are required to by law, that will capture the hearts and minds of consumers…which is their overall goal. With those actions, come the ability to premium price their products, and to lead the conversation, rather than to be playing defensively, and trying to catch up to the train…which is leaving the station right now.
@chels I know what you mean, its hard to find good help these days. People now days just don’t have the work ethic they used to have. I mean consider whoever wrote this post, they must have been working hard to write that good and it took a good bit of their time I am sure. I work with people who couldn’t write like this if they tried, and getting them to try is hard enough as it is.