Organic, Local, Sustainable: What is the difference and are any of these options realistic in healthcare?
Organic, local, sustainable, what do any of these food designations mean anyway? Well, organic has strict government guidelines, local is defined by an individual or organization and sustainable can have non-governmental regulating bodies to keep an eye on them.
Organic: this method of food production does not allow for the use of any chemical inputs in the form of fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. This type of agricultural production focuses on a holistic method that pays attention to building health and nutrients in the soil which can translate up through the plant, protecting the biodiversity on the farm, while ensuring a natural environment for animals both wild and agricultural. Farms are inspected yearly by a third party auditor who adheres to the strict regulations enforced by the Canadian Organic Standards which was launched in 2009 and is referenced in the Organic Products Regulations which is a legal text (www.cog.ca). Farmers need to keep detailed records of all farm activities and go through a transition period during which they can’t use chemicals but are not allowed to use the organic designation as their farm rids itself of chemicals.
Local: this term refers to the location of the product rather than the production methods. Local is often associated with the 100 mile diet which was brought into the mainstream by 2 Canadian authors and food activists. Local can also refer to a specific regional food or provincial/state boundaries. If you are going to use local food procurement in your facility, make sure that you clearly define what local means to you and your organization so you can be clear as to what products do or don’t meet your needs when you are speaking with your distributor. Setting your boundaries larger as you venture into this type of procurement will increase your success.
Sustainable: often refers to people who are farming using similar principles to organic but are not certified or regulated. This is a harder category to focus on because you would need a relationship with the producer in order to ensure that they are standing by the production methods that they claim to use. Sustainability can also refer to products that come with less packaging, fish and seafood that is certified by an organization such as OceanWise (www.oceanwise.ca) or Marine Stewardship Council (www.msc.org) which is another great consideration for your organization. Other certification bodies include Local Food Plus (www.localfoodplus.ca) or Sustainable Farm Certification International (www.sustainablefarmcert.com).
Currently there is a lot of debate as to the viability of these “alternative” food production methods in healthcare but they can no longer be seen as a fleeting trend, they have a real foothold in the consumer market and that pressure is beginning to make its way into healthcare and public institutions. This can be seen by the new round of funding that was just announced through the Greenbelt Fund (www.greenbelt.ca) which is aiming to get more locally produced food into the broader public sector, evidence that the government, whom is footing the bill, was happy with the outcome of the first round of grants.
That said, how do big institutions get involved in these changes? Because of these grants, many larger processors and distributors are now offering prepared, chopped, cleaned and peeled varieties of produce and products through more traditional distribution channels; allowing you to maintain your current purchasing methods but begin to make small changes to increase your institution’s consumption of local, organic or sustainably produced food. Small changes make a big difference, allowing your organization to remain current with how the general public is beginning to look at the types of food they are offering. As well, this is an opportunity to work with your suppliers to find out ways that they can support you in getting more local food into the hospital when seasonally available.
Seasonality. There is a hard one, or so many North Americas think, but there are some simple solutions to reduce the amount of changes you need to make to your menu while offering your patients local food options. One simple solution is to switch an item, for example frozen broccoli for fresh. Once you have made this switch, speak with your distributor and ask them to let you know when local fresh broccoli is available, then rather than switching the whole item, you are just switching the origin of the product. But, make sure you let your patients know with a different label or symbol on the menu so they recognize the changes you are making!
Not interested in fresh produce or don’t have the facilities to make this a reality? Again, ask your distributor for any frozen options that are produced locally, this is a great switch and one that your patients will recognize as valuable to their wellbeing, the local economy and the farmers in your area.
