In the middle of the bustling crowd and among the colorful neighboring farmers market stands, Farmer Alex stood behind his humming freezers filled high with pasture-raised meat and beside cartons of farm-fresh eggs. He was curious about something. As shoppers lined up at his stand, he asked them to participate in a brief survey: Why do they choose to shop with Chucktown Acres instead of grocery stores, including grocery stores notorious for “clean produce and meat.” He wasn’t surprised to see that many of the answers involved a lack of trust in labels, particularly in the form of greenwashing.
Most people demonstrate civil goodness by not littering, choosing to carpool, recycling, and being aware of waste. In other words, many want to do right by the world in an environmental way–this includes our wallets. In a 2018 survey, 67% of American consumers said they’re willing to pay extra for a sustainable product.
Greenwashing is inherently complicated because there is no set legal definition, and its concept varies by product and service. The goal seems simple, though: to sway consumers, public opinion, and investors. Companies that don’t disclose their environmental impacts risk being viewed as lacking a green vision. Without surprise, greenwashing seems to be the most popular among large companies and corporations, whereas the smaller-run businesses that strive to be transparent in their sustainability efforts seem to shine the brightest in being “green.”
Food Systems
We all have one surefire thing in common–we have to eat. Where things get more nuanced: what we put in our bellies determines whose pockets we’re filling. When it comes to our nutrition and food systems, it can be difficult to gain a footing in being environmentally-minded when labels such as “natural,” “free range,” “farm-fresh,” and “eco-friendly” lack strict certifications and third-party verification. In between the big bolded letters and visually-pleasing aesthetics on commercially produced foods lies a vagueness and potential danger that can’t be ignored. Many of the customers and shoppers at the farmers market expressed concerns around not being able to place trust in corporate grocery stores or labels because of additives, chemicals, greed, and farming practices.
How do consumers navigate purchasing decisions when labels fail to fully explain what you’re actually buying–even when it comes to the food we’re putting on the table?
Chucktown Acres is transparent in their farming practices. Check out their Instagram and see snippets of Farmer Alex’s regenerative farming life. He actually shows the animals grazing in pasture, which not many farms–especially not large-scale factory farms–disclose. He provides valuable education around what it’s like to run a regenerative farm, gets into the science of growing and raising, and cuts through the confusion of food sourcing.
Unwinding persuasive marketing language and unraveling eye-catching visual imagery will make you more aware of the signs of greenwashing. Being a conscious consumer involves value. It means knowing the value of buying well-sourced foods for yourself and its enrichment to your community.
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