Top 8 Best Sustainable Food Brands: A Guide for the Conscious Consumer
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It's a real challenge to shop for sustainable foods, especially with so many brands claiming to be eco-friendly. Amidst the noise of greenwashing, those trying to live sustainably need to know which foods truly have a low environmental impact.
Top sustainable food brands
Considerations when choosing ethical and sustainable food brands:
- Environmental Impact: Select brands prioritizing sustainable farming practices, reducing water pollution, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss.
- Food Waste Reduction: Support companies committed to minimizing food waste throughout the supply chain.
- Certifications: Look for trustworthy certifications such as FairTrade, USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and more.
- Local Farmers: Buy from local farmers, farmers' markets, urban farms, and co-ops to reduce food transportation emissions and support local communities.
- Packaging Sustainability: Choose products with recyclable or compostable packaging made from recycled materials.
- Consumer Actions: As consumers, minimize food waste, use non-toxic cookware, and preserve food.
The most sustainable food brand on the market
1. Good Catch Foods
Good Catch Foods, founded in 2016 by chefs Derek and Chad Sarno, is a leading sustainable vegan food brand focusing on plant-based seafood alternatives. They offer a range of products, including New England Style Crabless Cakes, Thai Style Fishless Cakes, and Fishless Burgers.
Instead of seafood, their products feature a blend of legumes like peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy, fava beans, and navy beans.
These plant-based offerings are non-GMO certified, Vegetarian Society Vegan Approved, and dairy-free. Good Catch Foods is committed to avoiding artificial flavors, palm oil, hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated fats, and synthetic colors in their products.
Good Catch Foods products are found in various stores, including Whole Foods, Kroger, Target, Veggie Grill, and Albertsons.
While they have been expanding rapidly, they are actively working on improving the taste and affordability of their products, addressing feedback from reviewers and consumers. Derek and Chad Sarno acknowledge the evolving landscape of plant-based foods and are dedicated to meeting consumer expectations.
2. One Degree Organic Foods
One Degree Organic Foods, based in Abbotsford, BC, offers a wide range of food products, including oatmeal, cereals, granola, flour, seeds, and various bread types. They are known for their commitment to transparency and knowing the source of your food. They prioritize building strong relationships with farmers and sourcing the best organic ingredients.
A unique feature is their product traceability, allowing you to scan a QR code on the packaging to trace ingredients and watch videos of the farmers who contributed to your product.
From a sustainability perspective, most of their products are certified vegan, with only a few exceptions. They ensure that all organic ingredients are grown using organic plant-based fertilizer without chemicals like pesticides or insecticides. Their products hold the Non-GMO Project Verified and USDA Organic certifications.
You can conveniently find their products on Amazon, where many have received high ratings, with most products having over four out of five stars.
3. Maple Hill Creamery
Maple Hill is a pioneer in organic dairy products, using regenerative agriculture practices focusing on grass-fed dairy cows.
Their cows exclusively eat grass grown naturally in paddocks, promoting cow health and environmental sustainability. These cows live 2-3 times longer than conventional dairy cows.
Starting in 2009 with one farm, Maple Hill comprises over 130 grass-fed organic family farms in NY State, making them the largest 100% grass-fed dairy business in the U.S.
You can find their products, including milk, kefir, yogurt, and butter, at various retailers, including Whole Foods, Wegmans, Amazon Fresh, and more.
Most Maple Hill Creamery products are GMO-free and hold USDA and PCO organic certifications, with some also certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU).
4. Nature’s Path
Nature's Path, founded in 1985, offers a range of sustainable food products, including cereal, granola, organic snacks, and oatmeal-based items.
Their production facilities in Washington and BC are now zero waste and working towards climate neutrality by 2025.
They are committed to donating at least $2 million annually to charitable partners, with proceeds from EnviroKidz products supporting endangered species, habitat conservation, and environmental education for children.
All their brands, including EnviroKidz, Love Crunch, Que Pasa, and Qi’a, use certified organic ingredients by National Organic Standards and are certified by the Non-GMO Project.
Their packaging is 97% recyclable, reusable, or compostable; it is expected to reach 100% by 2025. Additionally, the paperboard in their cereal boxes is FSC-certified.
You can purchase their products through their store locator tool or website.
5. Organic Valley
In 1988, a group of Midwest farmers rejected industrial farming's push to get bigger and embraced sustainability, giving rise to Organic Valley Cooperative.
Organic Valley is dedicated to changing how we view food, with its standards influencing USDA organic rules.
Today, they offer organic products like butter, cheese, eggs, milk, and cream nationwide. They're a cooperative of 1,600 family farms and 900+ employees working toward a healthier, sustainable food system.
This cooperative approach counters the trend of corporate takeover that has affected many family farms since 1960.
Their products are USDA-certified organic, free from antibiotics, synthetic hormones, toxic pesticides, and GMOs.
6. Brewer's Food
Based in Somerville, Massachusetts, Brewer's is an Up-Cycled cracker company driven to reduce food waste in the craft brewing industry! Every year, breweries across the US produce over 1 billion tons of edible food waste due to the beer-making process. And this food waste often ends up in our landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
Brewer’s recycles these grains into our crackers and chips… How cool! Beyond being a company that recycles a food bi-product that would have otherwise gone to waste, their products are hand-made in the U.S., so you know the travel miles associated with their products are lower.
7. Vital Farms
Vital Farms is a leading U.S. brand known for sustainable and ethical egg production and dairy products like butter and ghee. Their commitment to animal welfare is evident through pasture-raised hens that enjoy outdoor access and regular rotation to fresh pastures.
Starting in Austin, Texas, Vital Farms has expanded to over 300 small family farms across the U.S., all sharing a dedication to animal welfare and sustainable agriculture.
Traceability is key; each egg carton lists the farm name, allowing consumers to explore where the eggs were produced. The hens are fed a certified organic diet of soybeans and corn.
Vital Farms addresses tough issues like male chick culling and hen "retirement" openly and ethically. They also lead regenerative farming, with five farms actively practicing these principles.
Today, Vital Farms' products are widely available in American grocery stores, making ethically produced eggs accessible to consumers nationwide.
8. Eden Foods
Eden Foods, founded in the late 1960s in southern Michigan, is North America's oldest organic food producer. Their passion for natural food and macrobiotics led to the company's formation.
Eden Foods prioritizes transparency in sourcing, growing, and handling its ingredients. They hold various certifications for facility purity and quality.
Initially, they started as a co-op to address the scarcity of natural foods. Eden partners with local farmers near their headquarters, producing a wide range of wholesome products, including traditional Japanese foods.
Environmental stewardship is a core value, evident in their energy-efficient buildings and meticulous environmental impact tracking.
In 2009, they were recognized as the best food company globally for their social and environmental responsibilities. Eden Foods is a pioneer in the organic food movement, dedicated to providing pure, ethically produced food.
A final word on sustainable food brands
Regulatory action on misleading claims is often inadequate, leaving shoppers to distinguish genuinely sustainable brands from greenwashing. To simplify your choices for sustainable living, here are practical tips to identify truly sustainable foods at the grocery store.
Sustainable food brands take various approaches, from upcycling food waste to adopting innovative technologies. When shopping, look for brands prioritize people and the planet over profits. Happy shopping! 🙂
