ABSTRACT
Environmental labels and certifications are market-based attempts to counteract the negative effects of greenwashing and encourage more environmentally sustainable practices among businesses. In the restaurant industry, the Good Food 100 Restaurant Survey launched in 2017 hoping to build a more environmentally and socially sustainable food system by bringing transparency to consumers about from where restaurants source ingredients. In this study, I interview participating Good Food 100 restaurants and conduct Social Network Analysis using textual evidence from Good Food 100 restaurant webpages to answer the questions: What is needed for Good Food 100 to reduce the restaurant industry’s impact on the environment? What factors motivate or deter restaurants from participating in Good Food 100? How does the Good Food 100 survey influence restaurant purchasing? And what terms do Good Food 100 restaurants use to describe their sourcing practices if not “farm-to-table”? In conclusion, I find that the Good Food 100’s market-based approach is not enough to change the environmental impacts of the food industry, and needs to expand its reach not only among restaurants and consumers, but also to government levels and other agents.
For more information on this project or access to the full piece, please email me at sponthier22@gmail.com