Check out this article in Forbes.com. If you haven’t heard, there are some issues with our current food system. But major consumer trends may help to change it.
Almost 900 million people are today chronically hungry. China and India are now battling epidemics of diabetes and obesity, and 1.4 billion globally are considered overweight. 90 percent of water used in developing nations goes to agriculture, and yet a full third of what is grown is wasted.
And all the while, four companies – Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus (the “ABCD traders”) – control 73 percent of the global grain trade and make a combined $292.9 billion in sales a year. In fact, the food and beverage industry overall (traders, seed companies, manufacturers, grocers, etc) is now worth more than $6 trillion, more than even the energy sector.
If some are making so much money while consumers world wide battle hunger or obesity, disease and famine, it would seem the system is in desperate need of reform. But how? How can individuals make a difference?
Believe it or not, consumers are powerful players in the food machine. And there are three ways people are now using that power to change the world.
1. Social Media Campaigns
A few years back, Greenpeace created a spoof ad attacking Nestlé’s sourcing of palm oil from companies accused of illegal deforestation. The campaign proved a PR disaster for Nestlé.
McDonalds this past year attempted a friendly “meet your farmer” campaign online; the twitter hashtag they created instead became a platform for sharing McDonalds horror stories. Chick-Fil-A also suffered a social media nightmare after the company’s founder came out publicly against same sex marriage and their Facebook page was plastered with negative comments.
In other words, consumers – en masse – have enormous power because their ideas can now spread like wildfire. A little social media (just 140 characters at times) can go a long way in communicating to companies that bad behavior will be uncovered and discussed, whether they like it or not.
2. Buying Trends
There is one fact companies now can’t overlook – consumers care. They care how their food is grown, how their diamonds were mined, and where their electronics are made. Across the globe, consumers are willing to pay more for ‘socially responsible’ products and will support companies who care enough to do so.
This means that ‘voting with your dollars’ – buying products you trust to be sourced responsibly – can have a real impact on the world. While many of us cannot afford to purchase everything that way, buying the few items you can with real intention sends a message to companies that you – and millions like you – care.
Additionally, if consumers can manage to also not buy the products that cause obesity and diabetes – like chips and soda – that sends the message that consumers do not need or want these items in our own kitchen cupboards.
3. Data and Information
Never before has it been easier to find data and information about food. It is now possible to locate your closest farmer’s market, to learn about the sustainability of your favorite brand, and to uncover the environmental and social score of products compared to similar items. You can subscribe to countless food publications, blogs and recipe sites and can take cooking classes on line.
Certainly, there is a lot of information lacking as to where food is grown and its impact on the world. But it is also now impossible to escape the daily deluge of articles, charts and infographics about what you put in your mouth. Via the web, people all over the world are learning more about food and have the power to share what they learn with each other.
The result, we hope, is smarter consumers making better decisions.
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