Greenwashing and Elephant Meat

Welcome back Food Junglers. It’s a mixture of good news and bad news this week, from Namibian elephant-eating to progress being made on food waste. As always, it’s never boring. Let’s dig in.

This week:

🗑️ Massachusetts makes progress on food waste.

🍖 A major US meat processor gets sued for greenwashing.

🐘 Elephants in Namibia and Zimbabwe will be used for human consumption.

🌾 China has too much wheat to eat.

🚜 One investment fund wants to see more regenerative agriculture…

CLIMATE
MASSACHUSETTS STANDS OUT

A recent study, published in Science magazine, has found that Massachusetts is the only state in the US where food waste bans have actually worked in reducing the amount of food being discarded.

Researchers attributed the state’s successful food waste policy to an extensive network of composting sites, an understandable and affordable food waste diversion process, and an increase in the costs non-compliance.

Massachusetts has managed to reduce its solid food waste by an average of 7.3% from 2014 to 2018.

ZOOMING OUT: Food waste is still a growing problem in the US, however, as about 30% of all produced food is wasted in the country. So, although Massachusetts has set a great precedent, more work needs to be done.

BUSINESS
TYSON GETS SUED…AGAIN

One of the largest meat processors in the US, Tyson Foods, has been sued by the Environmental Working Group (“EWG”), an advocacy organisation, for greenwashing earlier last week.

EWG criticised the “climate-smart” beef that Tyson Foods supposedly plans to sell, alleging that such unsupported statements are misleading, as the company has no real plans to achieve its net-zero emissions targets by 2050.

The complaint against Tyson Foods, which produces about 20% of meat sold in the US, was filed in Washington, D.C., where a consumer protection law allows interest groups to sue companies for false advertising on behalf of consumers.

ZOOMING OUT: Interestingly enough, though, this isn’t the first time that a major company has been sued in the US for greenwashing. In February, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued JBS - the Brazilian meat conglomerate - on similar grounds.

One can only hope that all these lawsuits will inspire some changes in marketing practices across the meat industry.

POLICY
ELEPHANT MEAT ON THE MENU

Zimbabwe and Namibia have announced plans to feed their hunger-stricken residents by slaughtering hundreds of wild elephants amid severe drought conditions in the southern African countries.

The Zimbabwe and Namibia governments will allow the killing of 200 elephants and 700 wild animals, respectively, with hunting taking place in areas, such as Hwange National Park.

According to both governments, the elephants will be taken from an area where the population has become unsustainable and the competition between humans and wildlife for food and water has become much more fierce.

ZOOMING OUT: The El Niño weather phenomenon - which is responsible for intense, dry heat - has worsened the situation, accelerating drought conditions that have killed more than 100 elephants in the region.

So, according to officials responsible for this radical plan, this should save more wild animals that are in danger of dying of thirst in the long term.

SUPPLY CHAIN
CHINA COMMODITY CRISIS

As China’s economic struggles deepen, with many consumers having less money to spend on frequent restaurant visits, the country is now experiencing an oversupply of grain.

In particular, many Chinese consumers are foregoing the consumption of pork, curbing the amount of crops needed to raise pig herds. Not only that, but imports of grain, from France to Australia, have been ceased to control supply.

Beijing has already taken steps to protect the profits of farmers, asking traders to limit overseas purchases of corn, barley, and sorghum.

ZOOMING OUT: Despite shrinking profits for grain farmers and traders, some economists say that cheaper grain could ease pressure on food inflation that continues to affect millions around the world. However, this remains unclear.

THE BRIGHT SIDE
THE REGENERATIVE FUND

Say what you will about the effectiveness of regenerative farming practices and its potential for scaling, there’s no denying that producing food, while also taking care of the soil, is a great idea.

Mad Agriculture recognises this and hopes to invest in farms that want to transition to more sustainable farming practices.

The Minneapolis-based for-profit entity, registered as a public benefit organisation, is essentially an investment fund which provide loans, consulting, and the physical tools to farms that are looking to become more sustainable.

They want to become the “go-to source of regenerative organic ingredients” for CPG brands, wholesale buyers, and distributors.

Reading about Mad Agriculture I had one of these “aha” moments where you think “that is such a beautifully simple idea”. If you guys do have the time to get into the nitty gritty of how private investment is used to purchase organic food processing facilities to help small-scale farmers in the US, I would recommend looking into the company! Food Jungle approved ✅ 

BEFORE YOU GO…

• Red Lobster has now formally exited chapter 11 restructuring and has been acquired by Fortress Investment Group.

• Tupperware, the iconic food-storage company known for its resealable plastic containers and pioneering direct-to-consumer sales, has filed for bankruptcy.

• Meat processing giant - JBS USA - has entered into a partnership with GreenGasUSA to produce renewable natural gas in a bid to address greenhouse gas emissions.

• Swiss food manufacturer Hero Group has acquired British plant-based food brand Deliciously Ella to enter the UK snacking scene.

TAKE A BREAK

Hi there everyone! It’s our pleasure to introduce another newsletter in the food space - BETTER BIOECONOMY - from a food technology enthusiast, Eshan Samaranayake.  

Like the team at Food Jungle, Eshan is doing his absolute best to advertise those who are making food healthier, cleaner, more sustainable, more animal-friendly AND accessible to all.

So, if you are interested in reading more on food tech, go check it out! Food Jungle approved ✅