1. What types of food items are regarded as sustainable?

The "short and sweet" answer to this question is any food that can be produced in a manner that does not compromise future generations' ability to meet their needs. At Bon Appétit Management Company, we developed a definition of sustainability specific to food service: "Food choices that celebrate flavor, affirm regional cultural traditions, and support local communities without compromising air, water or soil, now and in the future." 

2. What types of sustainable food items are included in a low carbon diet?

In general, vegetables, fruit and grains grown in North America (assuming you're in North America) are low carbon choices. When it comes to meat, chicken is relatively low in carbon compared to beef.  Also, less processed foods (e.g. homemade potato salad versus packaged potato chips) are usually lower carbon choices.

3. What are some tips to eat according to a Low Carbon Diet?

Our food choices have a powerful ability to alter the amount of greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere.  The following suggestions can help anyone decrease their carbon "foodprint:"

1) Minimize your consumption of meat and cheese produced from ruminant animals (cows, sheep and goats); these animals are the cause of half of the food system's overall contribution to climate change.

2) Decrease food waste and over-consumption by only taking as much food as you are sure you can eat. You can always go back for seconds if you're still hungry.

3) Eat regionally produced food to decrease emissions produced through air freighting; this tip is especially important when consuming seafood because many types of fish sold as "fresh" are flown by air in gel-ice packaging (or in water, such as live lobster). By far the most environmentally benign species are those that are caught or grown within a short distance of being consumed and on the Seafood Watch "green list" www.seafoodwatch.org.

4) Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.  They tend to be lower carbon foods than animal products, especially if they are locally grown.

5) If it's processed and packaged, skip it.  Junk food, snack foods, most juices, low-calorie snack and cereal bars, and even veggie burgers that are prepared, boxed, frozen and transported, consume a lot of energy. Don't deny yourself treats, but choose fresh local fruit, small quantities of nuts and seeds, and other delicious alternatives when you need an "easy grab."

4. How has Bon Appétit Management Company helped people and communities become educated about the sustainable food system?

We have created many educational programs to give customers information about how food choices affect their environment, community and well-being.

For example, our interactive website (www.CircleofResponsibility.com) analyzes issues such as fish farming and industrialized agriculture and provides personal nutrition and physical activity advice from health care professionals. 

Our yearly Eat Local Challenge illustrates to our guests both the great taste of local foods and the precarious state of our food supply. In this event, our chefs create one meal entirely of local ingredients.

In 2006, we teamed up with GotMercury.org to provide the necessary information for people to make educated choices about their seafood consumption. Signage in our cafés directs fish eaters to the GotMercury.org calculator, which they can use to gauge their personal mercury exposure and intake risk.

On April 22, Earth Day, all Bon Appétit cafés are transformed into "low carbon learning venues" for our annual Low Carbon Diet Day. We've also created our Low Carbon Diet Calculator (www.eatlowcarbon.org), an interactive tool that allows you to determine how your meal is contributing to global warming.

These are just a few examples of the many ways we have helped our customers as well as the general public become educated about the sustainable food system. Please visit our website (www.bamco.com) for more information.
 
5. How can the sustainable agriculture system help the economy of a community, state and/or country?

With fewer than one million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. However, if local farmers sell directly to their customers, they are able to cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.

At Bon Appétit Management Company, we believe that many industrial agricultural practices today are unsustainable. We are committed to support those farmers and ranchers who embody the traditional environmental, social and economic values of agriculture, and thus not only enhance the variety of available food but bolster our local and national economy as well.

6. Does the sustainable production of crops entail a different approach to the conventional system of growing crops?

"Organic" agricultural practices, as defined by the USDA, focus primarily on minimizing environmental damage by banning the pesticides used in conventional agriculture. In order to label any food as "organic," farmers must abide by strict guidelines. Organic crops are not genetically modified and cannot be grown with the use of herbicides and chemicals that are permissible in conventional agriculture.

Local produce, though not necessarily organic, may also be considered sustainable, depending on the specific methods used in production. Local does not have a legal definition, but refers to food that is grown and harvested in the local community.  "Buy Local" campaigns often take into consideration environmental as well as social and ethical aspects of food production.

7. What are some of the reasons to consider buying locally produced food?

Locally grown food tastes better because it was grown in your own community and was probably picked within the past day or two. It often makes it to market within 24 hours of being picked, while food from non-local sources may have been in transit for more than seven days and been warehoused for many months. Studies show that local food is also often more nutritious because as time passes, fresh produce rapidly loses nutrients. 

By buying local, you support small family farms and local families and help re-establish the unique relationship that has existed for centuries between the farmer and his or her community. You are also investing in a local economy and tax base and helping ensure that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food. 

Furthermore, the picturesque landscape you think of when you imagine a farm in the country will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape. These are just some of the reasons to consider buying local.