MOM’s Organic Market steers shoppers to climate-friendly foods - WTOP
MOM’s Organic Market steers shoppers to climate-friendly foods - WTOP News
Rockville, Maryland-based MOM’s Organic Market wants its shoppers to know what products are considered good for the climate by launching a new climate-friendly foods initiative.
All of its stores now highlight foods with a “low-carbon seal” in several food groups.
MOM’s said products marked with green low-carbon footprint labels are produced with lower greenhouse gas emissions in ways that conserve water and preserve land. It includes nuts and fruits and vegetables as well as alternative grains.
MOM’s labels flag foods in top categories for having the lowest greenhouse gas emissions from seed to harvest.
“Our goal with this campaign is to get people thinking about how their food choices can affect the environment. With single throughout the store, we can provide helpful information to customers who want low-carbon footprint items within different food groups,” said MOM’s founder Scott Nash.
MOM’s Organic Market dates back to 1987 when Nash sold organic produce out of his family garage in Beltsville, Maryland. MOM’s has 16 stores in the D.C. area and has expanded to New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
The climate-friendly foods campaign is the latest in a history of environmentally-friendly business practices at MOM’s.
It runs a large recycling program for customers at its stores. Last year, it recycled 38 tons of batteries, 11.5 tons of shoes, 4,800 old cellphones and tablets and 30,000 oyster shells, according to its annual sustainability report.
It was the first retail chain to ban the sale of plastic bottled water in 2010 and the first grocery store to ban disposable plastic bags in 2005.
All of its stores have been powered by 100% renewable energy since 2005.
Last year, the company donated the equivalent of $1 million in food waste to D.C. area nonprofits — food that has reached “sell by” or “best if used by” dates, but is still safe and nutritional. It’s a point Nash and his family set out to prove in 2019 by eating food that was past its labeled date for a year, including dairy produce, meats, fish and packaged foods.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”