As a food business, sustainability should be at the heart of your brand. Customers and diners are savvier than ever with an acute need to know where the food that they are eating is coming from. They don’t want to be eating New Zealand lamb that has a mammoth carbon footprint when they know that you can source lamb from the farm an hour’s drive away. Being eco-friendly is a vital part of business nowadays, and it’s no different for the food industry. Take a look at how you can ensure that your food business is as sustainable as possible.
Street Food
The most on-trend food businesses at the moment are those that use local, often organic produce, that emulates authentic cuisine. Street food is seen as a rustic and accessible form of catering that many different sorts of diners are tapping into. The variety of food on offer is exciting – Mexican tacos, Vietnamese pho or vegan gyros. To maintain sustainability, think about the sort of mobile unit you may use. By following this ultimate guide for custom canopy tents, you can market yourself and your brand effectively while having a sturdy, resilient and reusable outlet for your food. Think about your ingredients and link up with fellow sellers at the events and foodie markets that you attend. Local cheesemongers and butchers will relish being part of your enterprise and it will save the food miles. Push this facet of your business to your diners as they will appreciate your eco-credentials.
Packaging
The worst way to be unsustainable is by using excess packaging and packaging that is damaging to the environment. If you are selling burgers, open sandwiches or meals, there are plenty of recyclable plates and tubs that you can serve from. You could even source biodegradable packaging for your cuisine. You also need to consider the packaging of the ingredients you buy. Plastic does real damage to the environment so you need to steer clear of this as much as possible. Encourage reuse amongst your customers. If you serve coffee, have a money off incentive to encourage your customers to enjoy your caramel latte in their own reusable cup.
Respect Workers
If you are sourcing ingredients from overseas because there is no local alternative such as chocolate, raw cacao, coconut or spices, don’t just ensure the food and packaging is eco-friendly. You also need to respect the workers that are producing your product. Research the farms, plants, and companies you deal with and ensure that they pay their workers a fair wage. You don’t want to be funding or contributing to the harm or mistreatment of human beings. While this may feel a little abstract, you need to remain socially conscious.
Being part of the food industry can be challenging in these uncertain times. The economy is looking less stable than in previous years and you need to ensure that you can show off the benefits of your enterprise to your diners. With a sustainable attitude, your business can thrive.