Blogs About Food, Beverage & Agriculture

In Your Words: Sustainable Harvest Coffee President David Griswold on Leadership

David Griswold, President, Sustainable Harvest Coffee

This guest blog is part of BSR's ongoing series exploring what leadership for sustainability looks like in today's world.

Posted: October 10, 2011 | Topics: Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Leadership

Why Food-Safety Scares Offer Opportunity in China

Daniel Hsu, Former Manager, Advisory Services

Here in BSR China, we worry about food safety. One of my colleagues refuses to eat traditional steamed buns known as “mantou” ever since an exposé revealed that one Shanghai producer used undeclared dyes, additives, and even old mantou in production. After a different case, in which used cooking oil was scooped up and sold at a low price, another colleague now only cooks with olive oil, which he believes to be at least less contaminated than other oils. Read more →

Posted: September 30, 2011 | Topics: Food, Beverage & Agriculture

Where BSR Will Be in September

Summer is over for BSR staff in the Northern Hemisphere with September shaping up to be a packed month. Here are a few of the places we’ll be and events we’re hosting. We hope to see you there! Read more →

Posted: August 30, 2011 | Topics: Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Strategy & Integration, Supply Chain, Toxicity & Product Design

Can Certification Schemes Collaborate to Raise Sustainability Standards?

Virginia Terry, Former Director, Advisory Services

Last week, company leaders, government representatives, NGOs, and certifying bodies gathered at the Just Means’ Certification, Consumption, and Change conference—which focused on the future of ethical product certification and eco-labels—to push for greater cooperation and consolidation among sustainability certification processes. Panel discussions—which included members from certifying organizations such as  Forest Stewardship Council, Green-e, Fair Trade, and the Rainforest Alliance—explored challenges related to giving consumers simple, user-friendly market signals to drive more sustainable purchasing habits.   Read more →

Posted: May 26, 2011 | Topics: Consumer Products, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Reporting & Communications

Planning for an Uncertain Future and More at WEC

Mark Little, Director, Healthcare, Advisory Services

Last week, I joined the World Environmental Center’s colloquium on sustainable development as a driver for innovation, which gathered an impressive panel of leaders from both business and civil society. Speakers included Jeff Seabright (Coke), Andrea Thomas (Walmart), Claus Conzelmann (Nestle), Bob Langert (McDonalds), Gavin Neath (Unilever), Albert Cho (Cisco), Jason Clay (WWF), Jane Nelson (Harvard), Peter Schnurrenberger (Roche), and many more.   Considering the companies represented on the panels, it was no surprise to see the discussions focus predominantly on food and agriculture. But the key “calls to action” cut across industry lines: Read more →

Posted: May 24, 2011 | Topics: Climate Change, Environment, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Strategy & Integration