Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM.
Sometimes there is a steep upfront cost to change the way you operate your business in order to benefit the environment.
For instance, earning the USDA Organic label can take years and a lot of money.
But making a change toward better sustainability doesn’t have to be a huge overhaul of your farm or packing house’s systems, equipment and materials. Small steps can gradually lead to big change.
For instance, at Hungry Harvest in Jessup, Md., CEO and cofounder Evan Lutz found that simply paying more attention to inventory can lead to a significant reduction of waste.
Hungry Harvest purchases surplus produce or unusable produce due to appearance, and then sells direct-to-consumer customizable boxes of produce delivered to the door through an online subscription service.
You might think, “Wait, isn’t a food-rescue business supposed to reduce waste in the first place?” Yes.
And that’s a prime example of how no business is above an internal review. Everyone can do better.
It’s even possible to pull off during these tumultuous times of dramatic market changes and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
And it can save you money too. That’s some good business.
Look for an article featuring Lutz and Hungry Harvest in the June 15 issue of The Packer, plus more articles on how Mid-Atlantic crops and marketing are doing as summer heats up.
Related news:
‘Ugly’ produce delivery service Hungry Harvest continues to grow
The current state of the food waste movement
Imperfect Produce CEO takes Manhattan
