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Welcome
The Sustainable Food Lab is a consortium of business, non-profit and public organizations working to incubate innovation at every stage along the supply chain from producing to distributing and selling food.
Sustainable Food Lab Annual Summit and Learning Journeys
March 14-19, 2010 in Costa Rica
- Learn more about market based solutions to the big issues, including climate, water and development.
- Meet producers of products such as pineapples, bananas, cocoa, coffee, vegetables.
- Hear how Dole and other companies are teaming up with partners to quantify greenhouse gas emissions.
- Learn about opportunities for agriculture to receive ecosystem service payments.
Costa Rica has made a national commitment to be climate neutral by 2021. The 2010 Sustainable Food Lab Summit will provide members and invited guests the chance to see how businesses are responding to this national commitment and learn about cutting edge efforts in sustainable agriculture, biodiversity protection, economic development, fairness of trade, and export of tropical products.
Two consecutive events:
- Learning journeys beginning Sunday
- Meeting beginning Tuesday, most people plan to leave early morning March 19.
For further information on this event or Food Lab membership contact Susan Sweitzer (ssweitzer@sustainablefood.org) or LeAnne Grillo (leanne@reospartners.com).
Sustainable Food Lab and SAI Platform looking for Partners in Global Climate Project to help farmers Grow Greener
Why join the Global Agriculture Climate Assessment project?
The project, coined the Global Agriculture Climate Assessment, will look at a portfolio of farming systems across the globe, each chosen by a sponsoring partner. Several food companies have already joined:
Unilever—tomatoes and dairy
Pulse Canada—pulse crops
PepsiCo—potatoes
Sysco/Superior/Oxfam—smallholder vegetables
Marks & Spencer--cotton
Yara—to be determined
Agroterra—to be determined
Fine Flavors Found! Commercial Hurdle Passed in Ghana Fine Flavor Cocoa Project
Just as the world’s coffee farmers have enjoyed higher returns by growing high quality specialty coffees, cocoa farmers have begun to reap the same benefits from the increasing demand for high quality chocolate. Most of the fine flavor cocoa has come from Latin America, but change is now coming to the heart of global cocoa production—West Africa.
CH Robinson takes the local route to Sustainability
Amid today’s rising energy costs, markets plagued by economic uncertainty and growing public demand for environmentally friendly practices, C.H. Robinson set out to find just the right fit between local food supply and demand that will benefit both the grower and the retailer equally. The company recognized that many of today’s consumers, farmers and businesses have looked to the local sourcing methods of the past for solutions, but often find that the demand for local food far outweighs supply.
“The consolidation of customers created a demand for resources that small stakeholders cannot readily deliver,” Grubb notes. “The scales of most retail chains require large volumes of food and produce that simply cannot be met under the current supply chain model.”
The State of the Sustainable Food Lab 2010
The following brief paragraphs will update you on Food Lab activities. Our mission, articulated by a diverse group 6 years ago, is to mainstream sustainability in the food system. Among a proliferation of sustainability organizations and associations we’ve focused on a few key areas where the needs are greatest and where we can bring unique resources to innovations. We’re glad you’re on the journey with us!
--Hal Hamilton and Don Seville for the staff team
A “Metrics in Action” workshop in late 2009 supported collaboration among metrics initiatives in dairy, specialty crops and commodities. The workshop also generated insights about how sustainability indicators become operational in value chains. This draft paper by Jon Johnson, Peter Senge and Hal Hamilton outlines these insights and frames a body of ongoing work connecting business school case writers, educators of MBA students, professional education of executives, and peer learning among businesses and NGOs putting sustainability into action. The authors welcome your feedback to the paper and your engagement as we further develop both research and capacity building.
Calendar of Events
Sustainable Food Lab Annual Summit - membership meeting, March 14-19, 2010. Costa Rica
The Art of Sustainable Agriculture - Joint SFL, SAI, CIAA conference, May 10-12, 2010. Brussels
(802) 359-4062 • www.sustainablefood.org