I consider myself lucky to have spent my teenage years working on a farm in upstate New York that has been around for 200+ years. There are a variety of reasons for this sentiment, but the driving factor is that it made me aware of where my food came from and the value of clean, wholesome ingredients. Being that close to a source of food from which my family and friends ate gave me a whole new perspective on the importance of buying local and proper agricultural practices, such as crop rotation, free range poultry, and allowing cattle to graze. One of the most important concepts that I took away from my time was the value behind the motto of the farm: “Know the people who put the food on your table.”

Quality matters.

This motto, mantra, concept, whatever you want to call it, is paramount to those in the restaurant industry as well. There has been a paradigm shift in the public’s perception of “good” food. Most educated people can now understand the difference between grass and corn fed beef, or free range and caged chickens, or know that there is no such thing as “perfect” fruits and veggies. If there are no visible abnormalities it’s probably been genetically modified and doused in chemicals. Who wants to put that in their bodies? People are constantly looking for local organic foods because the likelihood of it being sustainably produced is drastically higher, not to mention there is an inherent trust factor associated with buying local. It is essential for restaurants and cooks everywhere to take full advantage of this shift in knowledge and best practices. Additionally if you don’t want to support a myriad of ecological, economic, and societal issues that have recently been brought to light in the eye of the public then perhaps this is a route for you.

So what does this mean for your business?

1. Support local farms by purchasing meat & produce directly from them.
2. Commit to higher standards and be transparent about those commitments.

With a few simple google searches or visits to local farmer’s markets it is easy to track down a reliable source of meats and produce. Farms are generally straightforward about their good practices as well, because they know that they can get more money for their products if they are produced in a sustainable and healthy way. Showcase this on your menu, website, Yelp, Google, or even signs and advertisements. If you want to increase the traffic to your restaurant and ultimately increase your bottom line then supporting best practices and being transparent about where you source your food is a sure bet. Anthony Bourdain has stated on several occasions the “good food is often, even most often, simple food.” But what really are the issues that plague the world of Industrial Agriculture?

Factory farming.

Factory farms are large scale farms that mass produce meats and animal products with a heavy focus on efficiency and monetary gain. Because of these goals there are many negative externalities that exist as consequence.

• Concentrated animal waste leaches into the groundwater and air creating unhealthy environments for the animals and the people around them.
• Close quarters and dirty environments make these farms a breeding ground for diseases.
• These diseases are heavily combatted with the overuse of antibiotics, growth hormones, and chemicals to sterilize meat such as ammonia.
• They are a leading cause of drug resistant bacteria that is a threat to public safety.

Monoculture farming.

Monoculture farming requires a farmer to plant large expanses of the same crop (corn, wheat, soy, etc) over and over again in the same plot of land for (again) the sake of efficiency and monetary gain. The dangers of monoculture farming, while not as well known, are just as threatening to society as those presented by factory farming.

• Fertilizers pollute the environment through the wasteful applications needed to support monocultures.
• Fertilizers leach into groundwater and get flushed away in rainfall runoff polluting our water supply.
• Due to the heavy use of pesticides most produce is still covered in it when it arrives in our kitchens.
• We are consuming crops that have been genetically modified to resist these same pesticides.
• According to Miguel Altieri, Professor at UC Berkeley, the environmental and social costs, such as human poisoning and illness related to pesticides, is about eight billion dollars annually.

Best practices.

Now that we know all the harmful and detrimental facts surrounding unsafe practices, let’s analyze what best practices look like in the agricultural industry. In simplest terms, sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare.

• Crop rotation and fertilizing with organic materials drastically reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
• Crops can be covered in 100% organic solutions, such as a clay mist, to protect it from harmful pests.
• Grass fed cattle live healthier lives and have more room to roam, drastically reducing the number of diseases they are susceptible to.
• Proper diets for animals also reduce the need for growth hormones and antibiotics.
• These benefits are passed along in the increased amount of nutrients and the lack of harmful chemicals that we ingest.

Most local farms implement these practices and are generally transparent about it, so keep an eye out or just ask when you are finding farms to source your food from.

Current trends.

This idea of supporting local growers who implement sustainable agricultural techniques is far from a mystery to most consumers in the NYC area and many other places around the world.

So, is it worth it? Well, one third of US consumers said they would be willing to pay more for food which they knew more about. There has also been an exponential increase in ‘farm-to-table’ restaurants and grocery stores supplying organic and local produce. I can say from personal experience that I have seen these trends take hold in urban areas across the United States and spread from there.

Additionally, Annika Stensson, Director of Research and Communications at the National Restaurant Association, states that “seven in ten consumers say they’re more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally sourced food items.” This trend has been going strong for the past six or so years and is only predicted to continue to become the new normal.
It is crucial that you make the right choice and start supporting sustainable agricultural practices as it will have a lasting effect. Not only does this support help protect the environment and bring more awareness to pressing agricultural issues, but it will also increase your restaurant’s traffic and generate more revenue in the long-run.