In college, I remember going to the dining hall for meals, catching up with friends and eating what looked decently edible. We never thought much about our food or where it came from. Sure, we found ourselves wondering where the mysterious looking meatballs came from, or why the vegetable medley was the same in every entree, and the salad bar seemed far from "garden fresh." But that was just part of college life right?
Not exactly. I recently attended a luncheon hosted by Bon Appetit Management Company called "The Story Behind The Food." Bon Appetit is an onsite restaurant company that provides café and catering services to corporations, colleges and universities, and specialty venues. They have over 400 locations in 29 states. Seattle University is one locations they serve. The guest speaker was Vera Chang. After arriving a few minutes late and helping myself to a vegan wrap and pasta salad, I started listening to her story. Chang is Bon Appétit Management Company’s West Coast Fellow. She is an honors graduate in Global Ethics from Carleton College, is certified in permaculture design and has completed an apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture. Her background as an intern with the California Food & Justice Coalition and as founder and president of Food Truth, a student organization at Carleton College focusing on food issues, give her a unique perspective on the twin issues of sustainability and justice in the food system. Like me, she discussed her experiences as an undergraduate with little awareness of where her cafeteria food was coming from. That changed when she started asking questions, raising awareness, empowering students as farmers and advocates.
Pop quiz: How far does the average American meal travel from farm to plate? give up? At least 1500 miles.
The food we eat changes hands an average of ____ times before reaching our plate? Six
What percentage of the world's greenhouse gases are produced by livestock operations? 18% (Although I read a recent study showing this number is as much as 40%, the leading cause of climate change)
What part of your summer fruit salad contributes to the most climate change? Banana (air freighting, refrigerated fruit is carbon intensive)
I've been overlooking the environmental price I pay for the convenience of fruits, vegetables and meats on my plate. For non-local or out of season produce to get to the grocery store or cafeteria, a lot of it has to be shipped internationally. The consumption of bananas is no exception. "Most of the bananas raised for export are cultivated in the lowlands of Central and South America. Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Guatemala, and Costa Rica supply two-thirds of the 10.3 million tons of fruit that winds up in international markets. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts a production of nearly 11 million tons in 1999." (Tracy Baxter, Hidden Life of Bananas) Although this is a lovely feature of our globalized society, it also means that a great deal of fossil fuel and energy is used to get it to us. Chang discussed the role of large food suppliers, specifically Bon Appetit, in addressing concerns of sustainability and justice within the food industry. Bon Appetit has developed a "Low Carbon Diet" awareness campaign and committed to purchasing produce from within North America and educating consumers on where their food is coming from. Bon Appetit at Seattle University purchases it's produce from local farms and encourages students to farm and sell their produce to the company (If we all started buying locally, think about the job loss for the truck drivers and freight managers! Not to mention the GNP decline...)
Bon Appetit is also committed to limiting it's carbon footprint through the utilization of composting practices. As Chang pointed out, Seattle University uses all pre consumer waste (the parts of vegetables and fruits that are discarded before being served) as garden compost around the campus. All post-consumer waste (the stuff left on the plate, the stuff that doesn't get eaten) is sold to Cedar Grove, a waste management and gardening product company in the northwest. Why is this important? 25% of food waste goes into landfills, and rather than turning to soil, it rots and emits methane into the environment, further contributing to climate change. Composting food waste allows it to turn to soil and replenish the earth ( and pretty gardens).
As I finished my wrap and salad, I felt some pride in knowing that environmentally just practices went into preparing it. I thought about my own food practices with a new consciousness and awareness. Although I still have a great deal to learn, this was the perfect opportunity to begin my journey and I'm glad to have attended the luncheon. Food for thought. Happy eating and more to follow!
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