5 Sustainable Brands Doing Good for Your Body and for the Planet
Looked to as the founder of medicine as a rational science by medical historians, noted Greek physician Hippocrates is credited with saying, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” In today’s busy, stress filled, sometimes toxic living environment, this is sound advice, and the growing health food market segment is responding to the demand for foods that fuel a healthy, active lifestyle by offering more options than ever before. These 5 sustainable brands are taking it to the next level.
Consumers looking for the health food brands that will do most good for their bodies can also consider the brands committed to doing good by the planet. Sustainable farming and production practices take care of the overall health of the environment and ultimately make for foods that most effectively support personal health.
Here are some health food brands that are taking responsibility for the impact their manufacturing and production practices have on the planet and doing their part to build a more sustainable food system:
1. Kashi: Whole Grains on a Mission
The demand for organic foods has skyrocketed in the past two decades, yet less than 1% of the nation’s farmland is USDA certified organic due to strict production and labeling requirements preventing many farmers from making the switch from conventional to organic practices. Kashi is supporting farmers in transition as the first food manufacturer to have a product certified under the new Certified Transitional program created by Quality Assurance International’s (QAI), an independent, USDA-accredited organic certifying body.
Through its participation in the Certified Transitional program, Kashi is providing financial and infrastructural support for farmers transitioning to organic, ensuring supply chain security and increasing access to organic foods. Keep an eye out for other food items bearing the Certified Transitional logo to do your part to increase organic farmland beyond the 1%.
2. Tom’s of Maine: Keeping it Clean
What you put on your body can be just as important as what you put in it. Natural care company Tom’s of Maine was founded upon the belief that “both human beings and nature have inherent worth and deserve our respect.” Makers of natural oral and personal care products free of artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives and animal testing, Tom’s is the first natural toothpaste to bear the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance, demonstrating a balance between an effective product and a belief in sustainability
The also brand ensures that the packaging for all of their products is 100% recyclable through the Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Recycling Program, sponsored by recycling company TerraCycle ®. Unrecyclable by curbside collection, consumers can bring their natural care waste to a designated public drop-off location, or ship directly.
3. Clif Bar: Delicious snacks for all
Another TerraCycle program sponsor, organic snack food company Clif Bar embarked on its commitment to zero waste on Earth Day 2001, when employees worked together to reduce their office waste through use of recycled paper and desk-side recycling bins. Today, all packaging boxes are made from 100% recycled paperboard, and its wrappers have reduced in size by 10%. With less packaging, there is less potential waste, and through Clif Bar’s Energy Bar Recycling Program, consumers can recycle all Clif Bar product packaging, and all foil-lined energy bar wrappers, regardless of brand.
Birthed of a 175-mile bike ride, Clif Bar is also committed to providing great-tasting, slow-burning energy with a low glycemic index and high nutrition by continuing to select and source a greater variety of organic and transitional ingredients. Through collaboration with organizations such as the World Cocoa Foundation and Rainforest Alliance, which promote sustainable cocoa economies through economic and social development and environmental stewardship, Clif Bar is aiding in the creating of more sustainable food system while securing top quality for their supply chain.
4. Dr. Bronner’s: All-One for a Cleaner and more Delicious Planet
Best known for their ultra-concentrated Magic Soaps, Dr. Bronner’s has joined the health food marketplace with its Organic Virgin Coconut Oils. A versatile fruit oil valued for its many uses in cooking (high smoke point, delicate flavor), baking (swaps out for eggs or butter), and its antimicrobial and moisturizing properties (skin and body care), coconut oil demand, along with its water and sugars, has gone through the roof.
In addition to being Non-GMO Project Verified and USDA Certified Organic, Dr. Bronner’s coconut oils are Certified Fair Trade by the Institute for Marketecology (IMO) through the Fair for Life Social and FairTrade Program, which indicates that ethical working conditions and fair prices are provided along the entire supply chain. Considered innovators in the world of Fair Trade, Dr. Bonner’s was the first to establish certified Fair Trade supply chains for the coconut and palm oils used in its soaps.
5. Your local farmer’s market: Local eats wherever you are!
If you do a bit of research (and employ a bit of common sense), your local farmer’s market can be your best go-to “brand” for sustainable, more environmentally sound health food. By buying local, you create a bond between yourself and your food by putting yourself face to face with where it comes from, and the people that grow it. This means asking questions about farming practices, working conditions and pricing.
You can find your nearest farmers market through the USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory, Local Harvest (a network for Community Supported Agriculture [CSA]), the Farmstand mobile app, or just asking people in your community.
About TerraCycle:
Founded in 2001, TerraCycle, Inc., is the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, ranging from used chip bags to coffee capsules to cigarette butts. Each year, across 20 countries, TerraCycle collects and repurposes billions of pieces of waste, donating millions of dollars to schools and charities in the process. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in our recycling programs, please visit www.TerraCycle.com
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About the Author
TerraCycle Founded in 2001, TerraCycle, Inc., is the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, ranging from used chip bags to coffee capsules to cigarette butts. Each year, across 20 countries, TerraCycle collects and repurposes billions of pieces of waste, donating millions of dollars to schools and charities in the process. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in our recycling programs, please visit www.TerraCycle.com
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