In our recent column, The Green Value Opportunity: Local Solutions, we discussed the economic, community and ecological advantages of supporting local growers. Now for a logical, simplified and inspiring view of this solution, check out this 11-year old’s TEDTalk:
It seems like our future is in good hands!
As far as I knew, going green used to be linked solely to the environment and energy conservation. An Inconvenient Truth did much to universalize awareness of this issue and personally, I do my best to be mindful, though I was recently reminded that I could do better.
The green movement has become all-inclusive, spreading to all areas of life such as: our homes, our food, our clothes, how we clean, and so on. In fact, if marketers ever wondered whether consumers would embrace green marketing, research suggests a resounding yes!
Recently I noticed the term going green being applied to a aspect of food marketing I have a lot of heart for—removing questionable ingredients from every day foods. The ingredients I am referring to are two of the most ubiquitous—high fructose corn sugar and hydrogenated oils.
Making the connection between going green and wellness is something I am totally in favor of as it will no doubt improve our quality of life exponentially. Any efforts to get rid of these culprits in the pursuit of health & wellness will make a huge difference in the quality of life. According to Phil Lempert, The Supermarket Guru®, some of the products that are going this kind of green include ketchup, soda, snacks.
Good riddance I say!
This news got me thinking about a time not so long ago, the time of free, when diet foods—fat free, sugar free, lite, low—were all the rage. We welcomed the chance to have more of the foods we loved more often and feel we were doing something good for our bodies in the process. Then came some controversial facts about free. Here’s how Wikipedia talks about this dispute:
In many low-fat and fat-free foods the fat is replaced with sugar, flour, or other full-calorie ingredients, and the reduction in caloric value is small, if any.[4]Furthermore, excess, digestible sugar, as well as an excess of any macronutrient, can be stored as fat.
As a consumer advocate, it is my wish that companies go green responsibly—not simply to make a buck, but to reflect a new value to consumers—where the health & wellness of consumers is at the heart of the decision to bring green products to market. Only time will telll!
In May 2009 Haagen Dazs FIVE all natural ice cream with only five ingredients was introduced. My favorites so far are the Ginger and Mint flavors and they deliver a taste experience that fits expectations. There’s nothing more assuring than choosing food that’s the real deal with a familiar and pronouncable ingredients list. In a world where complexities abound and revelations are emerging about food re-engineering maybe more companies can make a difference consumers value by taking the guesswork out of making choices at the shelf.
