One-third of consumers worldwide prefer to buy food from sustainable brands.
That’s according to a recent surveyof 20,000 adults from five countries, including the U.S, which was conducted by Unilever – a transnational consumer goods company.
After attending Menus of Change(MOC), an annual summit hosted by the Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, I learned how the food service industry is making moves to listen to consumers’ concerns. The good news is that chefs and other food service leaders are working to improve environmental health – but there is still great need for change in one specific area: water sustainability.
Peanut breeders are thinking small and innovating with peanuts seeds to improve the sustainability of peanut production. Developing new varieties that maximize peanuts’ already sustainable traits can help reduce the environmental impact of peanut farming, make production more cost-effective for farmers, and make peanuts one of the most sustainable crops.
Peanuts are one of the most sustainable and environmentally-friendly food sources available today. A feature of its growing cycle—self-pollination—makes peanuts environmentally-friendly. Self-pollination means peanuts do not require outside aid—such as bees, other insects or the wind—to carry pollen from one plant to another in reproduction. Very few plants pollinate independently of insects, bees or wind. Self-pollination is most often seen in legumes (peanuts are legumes) and in many kinds of orchids, peas, sunflowers and daisies.
As someone who loves efficiency, if I can find a product that works fabulously as a culinary ingredient and a stellar source of nutrition, it’s love at first sight. As the first peanut milk ever to hit the market, Elmhurst’s Milked Peanuts is a powerful plant-based beverage that serves up six grams of protein per cup, with a peanut lover’s dream taste.
Chef Jernard Wells is the self-proclaimed Chef of Love. Famous for his time spent on Food Network Star and Cutthroat Kitchen, Chef Jernard believes food and love go hand-in-hand and wants everyone to know how easy cooking can be – and how much excitement it can add to your life. The National Peanut Board sat down and dug into how the Chef of Love shares his passion for food, social media, and of course, peanuts.
Reducing food waste is good for our bodies, our environment and our wallets. When I learned that the theme for National Nutrition Month was "Go Further with Food" with a focus on reducing waste, I immediately thought about the versatility and sustainability of peanuts.