There have been a lot of exciting developments in the world of food. Customers are looking for more transparency in their food supply and companies are offering healthier alternatives. During the pandemic, the food industry underwent a massive transformation. Businesses are also trying to build a diverse and inclusive food culture. Given below are some businesses that are transforming the way we eat and drink.
I-Collective – I-Collective is a community of chefs, activists, and farmers who aim to focus on the culinary knowledge of indigenous people and work for the right to have access to sustainable food. Their main aim is to let future generations know about indigenous food sovereignty. According to them, the past and the future are tied to sharing knowledge of seeds and crops local to a region or tribe. The community, founded by Neftali Duran, Karlos Baca, Liz Charlebois, and Erica Scott, has partnered with other organizers to bring their vision to life. They also work with urban farming initiatives and distribute crops grown by indigenous farmers to people within the community.
Imperfect Foods – This company was started in 2015. Their aim is to reduce food waste and build a sustainable food system for everyone. They rescue produce that is deformed and would otherwise go to waste, from farmers and grocery stores and deliver them to the doorstep of customers. Customers do not have to compromise on their budget. The pandemic saw the company even buying vegetables that had been pre-chopped for restaurants. The mission of the company is to tackle food waste.
Radical Xchange – Ashtin Berry is a beverage consultant and hospitality expert who aims to create change. She conducts workshops for diversity, safety, and inclusion. She teaches about intersectionality through beverage and wants people of color to thrive and prosper in the hospitality industry. She wants a healthier hospitality industry for everyone and wants to do away with inequalities. Her annual symposium, Resistance Served, includes seminars on topics such as Black farming and land ownership. She has also started a bimonthly wine club in collaboration with Prologue Wine Co.
Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) – The ROA was started in 2017 to help farmers with guidelines that would help them to improve soil health, protect animals and guarantee social fairness. They want to create farm systems that work in harmony with nature. The Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) is a holistic standard for agriculture certification. There are many cooks who are worried about climate change and for them, the right choice is to use regeneratively raised meat. Under this program, animals graze on native pasture and leave fertilizers behind. It is because of ROA that farmers will have metrics that would help customers to make sustainable food choices.
International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) – IWCA is a group of wineries that are environmentally committed. Founded by Familia Torres and Jackson family wines, the IWCA aims to create a clean and resilient wine community that wants to reduce carbon emissions. The group includes major wine names such as Silver Oak in California.
