Refresh

Enough already about turkey and cranberry sauce. Let’s talk shrimp. For a while now, I’ve been wanting to write about the Green Cuisine program from Contessa Premium Foods, the Los Angeles-based company known primarily for its frozen shrimp.

Earlier this year, Contessa opened the Green Cuisine plant, a state-of-the-art, $40 million facility using advanced design, technology and processes to significantly reduce the operation’s environmental impact. There’s solar power, heat recycling, loading dock efficiencies and variable speed motors that adapt to production needs. A very modernistic air handling system is pictured. It became the first frozen food plant awarded LEED certification.

What I found interesting is the vertical marketing the company has developed. The shrimp sourced by the company are farmed using environmentally sensitive techniques, which include improving water quality with probiotics; the food is processed in the green plant in LA; and a special logo has been developed noting that fact right on the box, for the consumer to see.

Shrimp has always been a seafood favorite for American consumers. It’s nice to see that, with Contessa’s help, the little guys can make such a big sustainability statement.

I can’t imagine Thanksgiving without a real turkey, but apparently a lot of people can. Tofurky, the soybean-based alternative that’s available in a variety of sizes and flavors, saw sales go up by 37% last year according to its manufacturer, Bend, Ore.-based Turtle Island Foods.

Indeed, it seems a lot of unconventional foods are showing up on this traditional holiday. In addition to tofu turkey, which some people like to shape and flavor just like the real thing — even shoving in the stuffing — there’s a growing emphasis on adding local and organic dishes to the table. The Consumers Union and Eat Well Guide recently challenged consumers to include at least one locally produced, preferably organic, item in their Thanksgiving feast.

Rising concern right now over humane treatment (this certainly doesn’t help) and meat’s carbon footprint seem to be driving sales. And supermarkets have been more than happy to oblige. But how might the economy shake things up this season? Consumers are feeling the pinch, and might be less inclined to pay more. Smartmoney.com sent a reporter to buy all organic foods for Thanksgiving and found that the total came out $100 higher when compared to conventional items.

Most shoppers won’t have an all-organic Thanksgiving, however. They’ll buy local, organic, seasonal, or tofu-based foods where and when their values — and their pocketbook — tell them they should.

Lee Scott’s departure may be the biggest news coming from Wal-Mart lately, but it’s not the most sustainable. For our purposes, it’s worth noting that the Bentonville retailer has pledged to purchase wind power that will provide more than 200 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year to stores and facilities in Texas.

Starting next April, wind power will provide 15% of all the energy needs at 360 Wal-Mart stores. This will eliminate 139,000 tons of carbon, which is equivalent to taking 25,000 cars off the road or 18,000 houses off the grid, according to the company.

“The wind power purchase will result in a significant decrease of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kim Saylors-Laster, vice president of energy for Wal-Mart, in a statement.

Wal-Mart’s plan is to eventually be supplied by 100% renewable energy. That seems like a lofty goal at this point, but no doubt other companies, including some progressive supermarket chains, are pursuing.

Now, back to Lee Scott. It was his 2005 speech “21st Century Leadership” that started this massive conglomerate lumbering down the road to environmental consciousness. Scott followed it up with “Sustainability 360,” a company-wide initiative designed to take sustainability directly to Wal-Mart’s associates, suppliers, communities and customers. Say what you want about Wal-Mart, but Scott deserves some credit for working to make nation’s largest retailer greener.

Earlier this week I attended the annual trade show of the Private Label Manufacturers Association outside Chicago. Retailers — from Winn-Dixie to Trader Joe’s to Walgreen’s — were in attendance, which told me that all channels remain intent on developing their store brands in new directions, and deepening the categories they already sell.

There were a number of natural and organic vendors there, too — more so than in past years. I met Rob from Tcho, a San Francisco-based manufacturer of artisan chocolates. Each package of the company’s chocolate is stamped with the words “No Slavery.”

No joke. Tcho sources its cocoa from Ghana in Africa, a region where slavery is apparently still rampant. Only beans from legitimate farmers are purchased; crops from undocumented suppliers are declined since slaves may have been used in their harvest. MORE…

The National Organic Standards Board is meeting in Washington this week to vote on final standards for organic aquaculture. It’s been an arduous process — coming in well behind the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s standards for terrestrial animals in 2002 — and judging by the controversy surrounding the current proposals, the uphill battle isn’t over yet.

There are two points of contention: fish feed and net pens. Under the USDA’s guidelines, ground up wild fish can initially comprise up to 25% of the organic feed. This is meant to accommodate salmon, which naturally feed on their piscine brethren. The problem, of course, is that wild-caught fish are subject to PCBs, mercury and other contaminants that could taint the organic standard. The Consumers Union, Food and Water Watch and other organizations have voiced their disapproval of this. NOSB members, meanwhile, counter that the ruling is in place only as long as it takes to develop better feed, and that there are ways of filtering out contaminants.

Critics also argue that net pens, which essentially work as floating corrals, could taint fish stocks by allowing waste and other contaminants to filter in. The NOSB, in response, has said it plans to inspect pens and their operators to make sure this doesn’t happen.

No matter how the standards shake out, it’s big step forward just to be having this debate. With fish populations collapsing and ecosystems in danger, the demand — and more importantly, the need — for sustainable seafood is higher than ever.

The question of how organic products would fare in a down economy is one that people have been reluctant to answer. A category that has prospered on $5 gallons of milk and $8 packets of lunchmeat, after all, has overcome its share of skepticism in the past.

But the doubts grew and grew, and by late this summer, when Whole Foods reported its disastrous third quarter earnings, the deal seemed pretty much sealed. The latest numbers from marketing firm Mintel show a pronounced decline in sales, and some sources say growth could slow to around 5%.

To counteract the negative vibes, organic advocates have decided to go on the offensive. Yesterday the Organic Trade Association said it would begin an expanded marketing campaign to educate consumers about the benefits of organic, and last week we attended a press event at the Chelsea Art Museum announcing “The Organic Solution”, a joint promotion of the Rodale Institute and The Organic Center. Both campaigns stress the need to address consumer confusion and show the true value of organic.

“Never in recent years has there been as high a level of consumer spending confusion and concern,” noted OTA executive director Christine Bushway.

All this talk about convincing consumers, of bringing them into the right, has always been something that’s bothered me about the organic dialogue. MORE…

According to a recent survey from Booz & Company, 43% of consumers are eating out less, and 35% are packing their lunch for work. That’s a tough break for the restaurant industry, but it’s clearly an opportunity for supermarkets willing step in and provide healthy meals, recipes and more to increasingly frugal shoppers.

Many are doing just that. Price Chopper this week announced a partnership with EatingWell magazine aimed at producing quick, good-for-you recipes for readers and customers. These will come available in stores, on Price Chopper’s website — via a new “Eating Well” tab that appears at the top of the page — as well as through EatingWell’s print edition and cookbooks.

Meijer is also looking to simplify shoppers’ lives. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer said yesterday that it would partner with author and TV show host Katie Brown to develop recipes and lifestyle programs. Brown, who hosts “Katie Brown Workshop” on PBS, will also work with the company to develop new products and marketing strategies.

And then there are the in-store demo and meal programs that Publix, Schnucks and others are bringing back into style. These offer an opportunity to impart recipes, promote new products, and — perhaps best of all — add a little sizzle to the shopping experience.

Food as theater? In a supermarket? Now there’s a thought.

Like Trader Joe’s, you never know what you’re going to find at Aldi stores. The limited-assortment discount retailer has legions of fans who like the treasure-hunt environment, not to mention the prices.

That’s because the selection is almost all private label. The Fit & Active line of 58 core items, for instance, ranges from granola to chicken broth to dried pineapple chunks. Average retails are $1.99 for any product. Normally silent Aldi officials boast that Fit & Active sales increased about 30% in 2007, compared to the year prior, and they expect sales to hit the 30% mark again in 2008.

The wellness news here is that purchasers will soon see “guideline daily values” on each of the 121 varieties in the Fit & Active line, including the retailer’s Millville line of cereals, by the start of next year. A “Fit Facts” section at the bottom right-hand corner of each qualifying product will alert consumers what percentage a serving of the product contributes to recommended daily maximums for four standard nutrition groups: calories, fat, sodium and sugar.

Supplemental information, such as: Good Source of vitamins and minerals; caffeine-free; and Good Source of fiber, will be noted in the upper right-hand corner of the package.

The developments are interesting because it demonstrates that no one channel “owns” wellness: Not Whole Foods, not drug stores, and not mainstream supermarkets. Health on a budget is a consumer priority right now, and Aldi’s timing is perfect.

St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets opened a store in the Midwest today that represents a step forward in sustainability for the company. The Newburgh, Indiana location features a water efficient plumbing system, a state-of-the-art energy management program that rations energy and lighting, a resourceful refrigeration setup, and a reflective roof. Oh, and there’s also a nifty shrimp and sushi bar.

Schnucks certainly isn’t the only company stepping up its green design efforts these days. Retailers of all sorts, from fast food to clothing stores, have discovered the potential cost savings in conserving energy and using fewer materials. Kohl’s plans to install solar panels on 85 of its stores, and Safeway is working toward outfitting 23 of its California locations with panels. Even McDonald’s has gotten in on the act, according to a recent story from the New York Times. Innovations there include seats made from recycled material, specially designed pavement that filters rainwater, and a rooftop garden in some spots.

Green design isn’t a new trend for the industry, of course. What is new is the way that companies are getting serious about alternative energy. It’s not just unicorns and rainbows and pretty flowers, after all — it’s serious long-term savings.

You may not have heard of Dr. Ronald M. Davis. Quite frankly, neither had I until I read his touching obit in The New York Times today.

Davis, who died late last week of pancreatic cancer at age 52, was a preventative medicine expert who started his career at the Centers for Disease Control and eventually served as president of the American Medical Association. More to the point, he was an early and tireless agitator in the effort to get us to improve our health. First it was smoking; more recently it was obesity.

The story in the Times related remarks he made at his own retirement luncheon this past June, four months after his diagnosis. Here’s one that’ll be familiar to supermarket retailers, because it’s about paczki, those giant, pre-Lenten jelly- and cream-filled doughnuts. Davis noted that the winner of a paczki-eating contest in Detroit this year had consumed 6,000 calories and nearly 400 grams of fat — in 15 minutes.

“Another vivid example of our toxic food environment,” he’s quoted as saying.

In hundreds of speeches, articles, papers and public comments, he tirelessly promoted diet and exercise and healthful lifestyles. During the height of his antismoking efforts, this man of science lamented that people still ignored the facts and continued to light up. “I don’t know how to deal with it,” he said. “This kind of thing perplexes me as a government official and frustrates me as a doctor.”

The U.S. food industry is only a few years into the wellness movement, and there are still many improvements to be made. We need more crusaders like Dr. Davis.