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My aunt was visiting from Alexandria, Louisiana, the town where I grew up, and I thought an interesting outing for us would be a trip to the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. One of my favorite things about the summer is picking organic heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and herbs right out of our yard to make salads and pasta sauces. Until our own veggies are ready, I love shopping at local farmers’ markets for fresh, organic, local ingredients.
One of the first things that we sampled was a scrumptious vanilla cupcake from the Les Elements Patisserie booth. We planned to split the cupcake so that we could feel free to indulge on other goodies, so I asked the guy manning the booth for a knife. He explained that they didn’t have any knives or paper products because one of their goals is to reduce their impact on the environment. I was completely happy to use my coffee stirrer to cut the cupcake since eco-friendly living also a goal of mine.

After having dessert, we headed indoors for lunch (cupcakes get me every time…). We had steamed clams and the wild shrimp quesadilla daily special from Ferry Plaza Seafood — both dishes were delicious! What inspired me to write this blog post was an older gentleman from Wales who walked up to the bar and asked the waitress what made the shrimp “wild.” She explained the concept of sustainable fishing to the gentleman, and we all spent a few minutes chatting about the subject. Being a pescetarian and a fan of sustainable eating, I know a fair amount about sustainable fishing and even have the Seafood Watch app on my iPhone in case I need assistance at the grocery store. I learned a few things myself from the conversation, and I wanted to share it with you.

Sustainable food is better for people, animals, and the environment. A typical farm laborer or factory worker can work in dangerous conditions for very little pay with very few benefits. In a sustainable food system, workers are better compensated for their work, and in some situations are given fresh produce and even housing as benefits. Sustainable fishing targets specific species while helping to protect animals such as dolphins and sea turtles. It also ensures that our seafood is preserved and will be around for future generations. To learn more about sustainability, I highly recommend the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) website.

One thing I do hear often is that the cost of sustainable food is a deal-breaker. I’m not going to lie… when I see a pint of raspberries for $3 versus a $6 pint of organic, local raspberries, I do grimace a bit myself. Many times, however, the price of local high-quality sustainable ingredients is comparable to a lower-quality product grown in subpar conditions. We are not going to change every product that we buy overnight, but a few smart changes by educated consumers can effect change on the food industry and ultimately result in healthier, higher-quality products that we and our families deserve.

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