How does Food Alliance define sustainable agriculture?
Sustainable agriculture speaks to our ability to produce safe, healthy, affordable food in sufficient quantities to maintain our population without degrading the productivity of the land, quality of life in our communities, or the resiliency of surrounding ecosystems. As a word used to describe companies or products, “sustainable” speaks to whether there is a system in place to identify and ameliorate risks associated with those companies and their products, and to how well that system is operating. Sustainable is akin to safety. In the workplace, you are never completely safe; there is always the possibility of a job-related illness or injury. But you can assess the risks and take steps to reduce them. You can make the workplace safer than it is today. The best managers recognize that this is an ongoing process. When buyers see Food Alliance Certified, they know the people behind the product are dedicated to continual improvement of social, environmental and economic performance.