The Food Scout

When it comes to quantifying environmental savings, the impact just from food industry changes boggles the mind. But these numbers don’t impress everyone, however. The proliferation of Green claims in the media has inspired a term called “greenwashing,” and now sustainability efforts are being measured and judged for their significance and authenticity before being endorsed.

The risk that companies now face is potential consumer backlash for efforts that are deemed misleading or unworthy. Here’s the rest of the list of the major types of initiatives and the reactions they have inspired:

Recycled News:  It’s getting easier to source cups, napkins and other paper goods that have some recycled materials in them, so the leaders on this front have to keep topping themselves. Starbucks outed itself recently by admitting that its (and everyone’s) old PET cups weren’t compatible with most recycling systems. It now uses a “PP” cup for its Vivanno smoothies that uses less plastic and produces fewer greenhouse gases.

Taco del Mar recently completely changed out 16 different items including garbage bags, lids, trays, utensils, and takeout containers, opting for a biodegradable cornstarch-based material that doesn’t rely on recycling to be environmentally friendly. The company says the switch cost more money, but decided the move was an important one for its customer base. More companies may follow suit on this trend, particularly if cities follow Seattle’s and Los Angeles’ lead and ban foam containers that aren’t recyclable.

 LEED-ing the Construction: Subway, Hardee’s, McDonald’s, and Dunkin Donuts are some of the high-profile chains testing units built with eco-friendly materials, or retrofitted with energy-saving products like lightbulbs and appliances. Environmental Design leadership certification includes elements like recycled floor tiles, high efficiency HVAC systems, low-flow faucets, and more natural lighting, which often cost more than standard materials but can pay out energy savings in the long run.

By itself, Green construction is probably not an incremental business builder worthy of promotion, but plays an important role in an overall Green Plan for a business.

Eco-Ops: Energy-saving appliances are becoming standard, but Taco Bell has taken things a step further with a “grill to order” cooking platform that saves a reported $5,900 in electricity costs and 300 million gallons of water per year, and theoretically produces a fresher, if slower, product. But this move has been criticized as Greenwashing by mainstream press such as CNN, which collected a panel of experts on the heels of this announcement to question the company’s broader energy policy and cite it for vending foods like beef Chalupas that are made with energy-hogging beef and dairy products that require a supposed 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat.

Chains that deliver meals to consumers are switching to more enviro-friendly options. El Pollo Loco and Pret a Manger use electric cars as delivery vehicles, and Domino’s has tested both hybrids and electric cars in various markets. For consumers in general, this is currently one of the most popular ways to “go green,” so for restaurants it’s a smart way to save and save face, though the novelty and uniqueness factor will soon wear off.

The need to save energy and the environment isn’t going out of fashion any time soon, but consumers’ willingness to “swallow” certain sustainability claims and alter their restaurant patronage preferences could definitely become about compelling as ordering from a low-carb menu these days.

Even though no Green effort is immune to criticism, we’ve come far enough down the sustainability path that restaurants and foodservice marketers now have to take more care to examine their motives and think twice about how to promote initiatives, if we’re to help keep this important trend from becoming a much-maligned fad.