Points of Progress – Sustainable Food

By Jolee Keplinger |August 12, 2020
Principia Center for Sustainability
Special Projects Officer

Food processing companies are central to the discussion of sustainable food production. The trend of environmental awareness, plus heightened consumer consciousness, has raised the expectations of many consumers. These days, consumers are wanting to purchase foods that are sustainably sourced and produced. Consumers are seeking openness, honesty, and transparency from food companies.

As a result, there has been dramatic growth in the number of food companies reporting on sustainability. This has led many companies to take time to communicate their sustainability philosophies, goals, and practices in a public manner. This has resulted in the publishing of Sustainability Reports (or Corporate Social Responsibility Reports).

On average, food companies have about 4 years of reporting experience.

Evidence for heightened consumer awareness:

In 2018, 59% of consumers surveyed said it was important that the foods they purchased were produced in a sustainable way (Food Technology Magazine).

In 2017, about 7 in 10 consumers reported that they wanted food companies’ sustainability practices to be more visible (The Hartman Group).

An In-Depth Example: Oatly

When attending the Culinary Institute of America’s virtual Menus of Change summit, I learned about an oat beverage (non-dairy “milk”) brand called Oatly. They were first company to put oat beverages on the market! Their mission is to offer nutrient-rich, oat-based products to the wold without building up a resource-intensive dairy infrastructure, and emitting excessive amounts of greenhouse gasses.

Oatly seemed to have a strong awareness and dedication to sustainability. During the session, the host mentioned that they are committed to tracking their efforts and have been publishing sustainability reports. I was curious to learn how this brand was addressing various aspects of sustainability in its operations. After a quick Google search, I was able to access Oatly’s 2018 Sustainability report.

First Impressions.

At first glance, the report was overwhelming! There were 89 pages filled with text and infographics. In terms of graphic design, it was not what I expected. I imagined the average sustainability report to look very scientific, bland, and not very visually appealing. I was not expecting to see an array of complementary colors, an unconventional text font, simple, yet effective graphics, and plenty of professional looking photographs. I could tell that Oatly really took the project seriously, and was catering to a target audience of millennial/Gen-Z open-minded consumers.

I appreciated the sense of humor that was integrated throughout. At the beginning of reading, I was immediately intrigued by the bold nature of the title page. which stated “Sustainability Report 2018: Slightly Worst Than Last Year!“. That made me want to continue reading. Why would a company be so straightforward about their not-so-great findings? I thought it was very transparent right off the bat, and couldn’t wait to learn what happened.

Oatly’s Sustainability Aspirations and Wins + The Triple Bottom Line

People

Oatly has a goal of equal distribution of women/men in leadership positions and an equal treatment policy. Currently, the board is 100% men, and 67% of men hold leadership positions with staff responsibility.

Fun fact: This company has three employees that are specifically focused on sustainable operations.

Planet

When choosing to purchase oat milk rather than cow’s milk, fewer resources are needed, and there is less of a contribution to climate change.
For example, in 2018, Oatly sold 71,482,745 liters of oat drink worldwide. If you assume that that number would have otherwise been consumed as cow’s milk, then 56,471 tons of greenhouse gasses were reduced! That is the equivalent of traveling around the world 11,778 times in a car!
Most of their packaging is paper-based, with the exception of plastic cups used for the Creamy Oat Fraiche, oat spreads, and Oatgurt.
Oatly ties its efforts to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Profit

The global increase in plant-based eating has positively affected the company’s growth in all of its markets. This indicates that the interest (and will) to opt for plant-based food is increasing.
Sustainable growth is a topic that of much debate. Oatly acknowledges the general issue of consumer overconsumption, but highlights the significance of large companies creating positive change. Since Oatly is a larger company, there’s great potential for accomplishing and influencing positive change.

Areas for improvement

The rapid increase in staff make the establishment of a unified sustainability culture a challenge.
There has been increased product travel due to globalization.
In 2016 Oatly set a goal to reduce its GHG emissions by 25% by 2020. From 2015-2017, emissions decreased, but they increased in 2018 due to an unexpected growth spurt for plant-based/vegan food products.
The long-term goal is to fully produce products using renewable energy and reduce energy consumption. Currently, 87% of their energy use is renewable. Co-packing facilities outside of their home base of Sweden are powered by nonrenewable energy.

What if the fields of oats were home to wind turbines!

Find Oatly! Near You

If you are living on Principia College’s campus, you can find the products at the Alton, IL Target. According to the product locator, currently this location carries Oat Frozen Dessert, four types of oatmilk.
The St. Louis area has many stores that carry Oatly, including Dierbergs, Fresh Thyme, and Target, Whole Foods and even a few coffee shops.
Before venturing out, I recommend checking the Oatfinder for an updated list of stores near you.

How to Use Oat “Milk”

Oat “milk” is a 1:1 substitute for dairy milk. If you’re interested in venturing into the world of plant-based milks, this variety is an excellent way to start! It’s light, airy, and the texture has been compared to skim milk. It’s a great option for individuals with food allergies or intolerance because it’s free of lactose, nuts, soy, and gluten (if certified). This is highly beneficial for those who are responsible for providing allergen-free food for many people. It’s great for chefs and restaurants that want to offer dairy-free alternative foods and beverages.

Common Uses:

Lattes and cappuccinos
Cereal
Baked goods
Smoothies
Drinking alone

Sources

https://www.oatly.com/uploads/attachments/cjzusfwz60efmatqr5w4b6lgd-oatly-sustainability-report-web-2018-eng.pdf

https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/Sustainability-Reporting-in-the-Food-Processing-Sector.pdf

https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2018/august/features/sustainability-at-food-companies

By Jolee Keplinger (C’20) | Principia Center for Sustainability

Defining Local

The specific number of miles traveled by food to count as being “local” varies. The definition adopted by the U.S. Congress considers local food to have traveled less than 400 miles from its origin, or be from the state it was produced. The more common definition of local food means it was grown within 100 miles or within the state.

Local Focus: Principia College

I will start this local food exploration from where I am living, Principia College, located on the bluffs next to the Mississippi river in Elsah, IL. Just on this 2,600 acre campus, a plethora of off-the-radar foods are scattered across the landscape. I will start this food-venture at the East Quad housing section of the campus. There, a mini apple “orchard” exists, and each fall, the trees are abounding with apples.

apples — Apples harvested from campus – Fall 2018

Most students walk by these trees without giving them a second thought. I used to be one of those students, but last year, my perspective changed when I participated in the sustainability club’s apple sauce workshop during the fall of 2018.

I was amazed at how under-appreciated the apples were, and at the potential to create a variety of apple products right on campus. It’s too bad these apples aren’t incorporated into the campus’s dining services. Instead, industrially grown apples are shipped in from many miles away, and their origin is not communicated to us.

Fortunately, an aspect of the campus that’s being utilized are the sugar maple trees. A biology course called Sugarbush focuses on making maple syrup during the spring semester.

The students create products using the maple syrup, and sell them in the campus’s store. This example demonstrates how local food is so accessable.

Sadly, if you go to get pancakes for breakfast, the maple syrup is not campus-grown due to its high value and limited quantity. Instead, you’ll find an artificial version shipped in from many miles away.

Fun fact: Principia’s maple syrup is FSC certified. Products labeled with this certification come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits!

90% of proceeds benefit Principia’s Land Stewardship program.

Value added products, made by students enrolled in the maple syrup making course, will be for sale in the C-Store as well. For example, sweets such as cake pops, rice crispy treats, maple bark, and popsicles graced the shelves last year.

Next to the sugar shack (where the syrup is boiled) lies a community garden, which is currently being revitalized.

The Science Center, which is located next to the garden, is contributing to the campus’s local food production as well. Part of this building’s roof has been transformed into a garden. There, kale, cabbage, leeks, romaine lettuce, and a variety of herbs are being grown, (and sunflowers are coming soon). Evidence of the campus’s potential to self-sustain itself is the student/faculty-run victory garden during World War II. This demonstrates that with an urgent event, and call to action, things can be accomplished.

Rooftop gardens, also known as green roofs, provide many benefits. The most obvious one is the availability of fresh, nutrient-dense, and local food, which can be grown with organic principles. Additionally, rooftop gardens can lead to community building, reduce energy costs, and even provide habitats for native pollinators, which play an essential role in local food production.

The beekeeping program, a subset of the Sustainability Club, manages bee boxes, which have successfully produced honey.

This is exhibited during Sustainability Weekend each year. Samples of honey are offered to anyone walking through the Concourse.

As you walk through the concourse, you can enter the central food area, known as the Scramble Room. There, locally grown products are not the norm.

If you continue walking though, you’ll arrive at the campus’s convenience store, known as the C-Store. There you can find local specialties such as Fitz’s soda, which is hand-crated in St. Louis.

Even though the campus has the ability to produce a variety of foods, this utopian campus food system isn’t being achieved due to logistical factors, such as high turnover rate of student residents, apathy regarding the origin of one’s food, and our have-it-all, fast-paced, globalized culture.

The average person to expects to have 24/7 access to a variety of foods which of course, cannot all be grown locally and sustainably.

On a positive note, the campus’s Dining Services has a five star rating from the Green Dining Alliance. This St. Louis-based program rates restaurants in terms of water and energy conservation, food sourcing, recycling and waste reduction, awareness, innovation, and chemical use.

In each category, Principia has scored at least four stars, except for the “sourcing” category. This highlights the fact that sourcing local and sustainable food has plenty of room for improvement.

For example, one product which happens to be manufactured semi-locally is the Beyond Burger.

Fortunately, progress is being made. As Principia’s Dining Services Liaison officer for the Sustainability Department, one of my projects last semester was integrating local produce from a Three Rivers Community Farm. This small, family-run farm, which grows all its produce with organic principles, is less than a five minute drive from campus. (Fun fact: the land is actually being leased from Principia.) I thought it was important to utilize this local food source which lies in our backyard. I took action by setting up a meeting which included our chef, the director of the Sustainability department, and the owner of the farm. The meeting was a success, and resulted in a partnership with the farm. Fresh, local produce can be expected to become integrated into Principia’s Dining Services starting in the fall semester of 2019!

Final Words

Today, what’s needed is community awareness regarding the current, unsustainable-state of the U.S. food system, and individuals who are passionate about igniting change. Everyone eats, and everyone wants to eat in the future. For this to be possible, we must transition from the current too-good-to-be-true depleting global industrial food system, to once that’s local, place-based, and not just sustainable, but regenerative.

Even though Principia’s campus-grown food is a step in the right direction, the intentions seem to be academic research, Sustainability Club activity, or project-based. There is much progress to be made considering the multitude of possibilities that exist on a rural 2,600 acre campus.

Category: Points of Progress

Sustainability Reporting in the Food Industry