As the regenerative farming movement gains momentum we are sadly seeing examples of the ‘regenerative’ word being used with no real substance to back it up. This style of marketing even has a name: ‘Greenwashing’ – marketing that misleads consumers into believing that a product is environmentally friendly when it is not.
We find this incredibly frustrating. Consumers wanting to do the right thing being misled. Sometimes it’s as simple as them not been corrected when they make an assumption that ‘grass-fed’ means organic, it doesn’t. Or ‘local’ means organic, it doesn’t. Or ‘regenerative’ means organic – not necessarily.
As a consumer what can you do? Unfortunately, there is no simple solution. Certification systems certainly go some way to provide surety for consumers but they have limitations and still have loopholes for ‘greenwashers’.
For example, certified organic produce can be farmed under a conventional methodology (just replacing synthetic inputs with certified organic ones). And you can also claim to be regenerative and still use poisons to manage parasites and weeds.
Transparency is ultimately what you need because true transparency eliminates greenwashing. Imagine if all food had to be supplied with a history of inputs and management activities? Sounds impossible (and expensive) but the technology is coming and it might be the only way to enable transparency for consumers who can’t get to know their food producers. Sounds too big brotherlike? Then it’s time to engage.
Getting to know your farmers is getting easier thanks to social media, Reko rings, farmers markets and the like. And for those farmers who are fantastic producers but don’t want to be social – smaller grocers often buy at least some of their product direct off farmers too – so engage with and support those businesses and before you say it – they are often cheaper than the big boys.
But producers – the onus is on you too. Find a way to engage that is comfortable – but engage you must and if transparency is scary – why is that? Can you justify your production methods to environmentally and ethically conscious consumers? It’s true that consumers may not or probably don’t understand all the pressures and contingencies you deal with – so explain – engage.
Whether we like it or not, food is our most important procurement decision. It underpins our health and wellbeing and the wellbeing of our communities and environment. Farmers and consumers – we need to talk.
