Consumers who are looking to do their part for the environment, their community, and each other by eating healthy, nutritious food, want to know that they’re part of a larger, proactive approach to sustainability.
When companies focus on providing sustainable best practices, it not only shows consumers that they’re ahead of the game, it helps show that there are genuine efforts being made to create a better future for everyone involved.
Know Where Your Ingredients Come From and How They End Up in Your Order
Understanding where the ingredients for food comes from and how it gets on your consumers’ plate is a key part of sustainability. When food sourcers, producers, and distributors are committed to doing their part for sustainability, they ensure that the end product uses trustworthy ingredients and, ultimately, honest labelling.
With our 30 years of experience, our team has discovered three surprising ways to use sustainability best practices to benefit employees, communities, and the environment.
- Establishing Long-term Business Opportunity
- Promoting the Advancement of Underserved Community Members
- Ensuring Efficiency Throughout the Production Cycle
Establishing Long-Term Business Opportunity
Suppliers have learned that success starts when employees are safe and happy. Yet, there are ingredients suppliers of all sizes that struggle to find the right balance between maintaining profits and hiring the right employees to meet demand. When suppliers are able to balance these two goals, they can provide compensation that draws in talented employees and helps keep them satisfied with their jobs.
Investing in local talent by supporting the community in a sustainable and responsible manner helps suppliers provide a wage that draws in talented employees and helps keep them satisfied with their jobs. This helps them maintain good working conditions for employees and has shown that offering a sustainable salary is totally possible. With the right support from experienced sourcers, ingredient suppliers are able to maintain year-round work for their employees that greatly benefits their community.
Promoting the Advancement of Underserved Community Members
To achieve food sustainability, the food manufacturing process must provide food that is safe and nutritious. It also can’t compromise on food security or food safety. And, it has to be economically sustainable as well. This is why long-term business opportunities help to promote the needs and values of underserved community members, including, women workers, by:
- Providing opportunities for farmers
- Promoting healthy living
In our travels to Asia and North America, where we source much of our fruit, like goldenberries, bananas, mangos, pineapples, papayas, gingers, and more, our team supported the start of a grower assistance program that helped growers gain organic certification. Our sourcers improved the health of their community by beginning a family food program for the elderly and children of workers while also employing approximately 50% female workers.
Ensuring Efficiency Throughout the Production Cycle
Food Manufacturers are responsible for making sure they use safe, healthy food ingredients. This means thinking about what’s coming in and how it will come out. It also includes maintaining integrity with the supply chain and the environment.
This can be done by:
- Implement best agricultural practices
- Following strict supply chain certification standards
In example, our team has worked with our suppliers to maintain green food planting standards and unified management – allowing for healthy products and high-quality ingredients.
Proactively Creating Long-Lasting Sustainability Relationships That Make a Real Impact
Taking proactive steps to help reduce our environmental footprint is imperative for every business moving forward. That’s why at Seawind Foods, sustainability means being responsible to our customers and the environment. We are a trusted producer and distributor of all-natural dehydrated fruits, vegetables and spices to industrial food processors, retailers and national consumer brands. As sustainability has become an increasingly important topic in the food manufacturing industry, we have embraced sustainability practices as part of our company’s culture.
We take pride in providing sustainable ingredients by practicing sustainability in every aspect of the production process. This includes how our suppliers grow vegetables, maintain their land and energy resources, and use best practices to reduce waste.
We’re passionate about making good, lasting change. We work hard every day to ensure that our suppliers are able to provide quality products while also focusing on social responsibility and environmental impact. By working together we can create a better future for everyone involved.
Contact us to learn more.