The death of farm to table (the term, not the concept)
From the Blog, The Good, the Bad, and the Funky, by Yvette Jong, for HOTELSmag.com
Greenwashing comes in many forms and one trend we see is the misuse of "farm to table" labels.
"Greenwashing” continues, and the latest culprit is the unverifiable and overuse of “farm to table” concepts. That’s right - wooden counter tops, rustic furniture, baskets of irregular veg, craft paper placemats, and use of the term in your concept brief don’t define the philosophy, and aren’t serving it any justice.
According to Luke Rinaman, our culinary strategist, few people really understand the “farm to table” philosophy outside the Pacific Northwest - a concept driven by sourcing and delivering locally. The reason it's shifted from its roots is likely because local sourcing isn’t always accessible, regulations may make it prohibitive, small scale operations often have difficulty getting products out to market, and many places still lack quality local products. The other big reason? As it’s evolved, the general public is mostly ignorant and if “it looks like it came from a farm” it’s good enough for them.
The result? Restaurants that ride the movement, use the term and charge a premium without honoring the philosophy. Our feeling? The term is going to be out of fashion soon enough and a new trend will be born.
Any predictions on what it’ll be?
Craft House Founder and Director, Yvette Jong, contributes regularly to her HOTELS Magazine Blog titled, "The Good, the Bad and the Funky." Topics of discussion include all aspects of hospitality development, operations, branding, marketing, human resources, sustainability and much more.
