HowGood, an independent research organization with the world's largest database of food ratings based on sustainability, identified the nation's 47 most sustainable food brands for 2015. The "Great Food Report" was published today in collaboration with SPINS and Pure Branding, two leading providers of research and insight in the natural products industry. The report is based on the largest dataset of its kind and brings together seven years of research, 110,000 rated products, and over 7 million data points.
The Great Food Report utilizes HowGood's research framework which rates food products against 70 indicators in order to evaluate the overall impact, both social and environmental. The ratings incorporate indicators derived from a brand's sourcing standards, production practices, and company conduct over time. The companies included in the top 47 include local brands such as: Maple Hill Creamery, Real Pickles, Rare Hawaiian Honey Company, Grandy Oats, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, and Tomales Bay Food Corp. Each company received this designation by earning a perfect score with HowGood's rating system, a score which only 0.25% of products have achieved.
"We are publishing this report to celebrate champions of good food, develop long-term industry relationships, and build data-driven solutions for the grocers, shoppers, food producers, and government bodies that are helping to ensure the future viability of our food system," says Alexander Gillett, CEO and founder of HowGood.
Furthermore, Yadim Medore, CEO and founder of Pure Branding, points out that "What we've found in our research about the local and natural food movements is that caring for your food and worrying about the food system is one of the few issues left in America that unifies people across the political spectrum."
"The growth of local industry practices create jobs, strengthen communities, and cleans up the American food supply from the ground up," says Tony Olson CEO of SPINS.
The research included in the Great Food Report was compiled with the same data utilized by HowGood's in-store rating system used by grocers. The system presents sustainability ratings to consumers at the point of purchase. HowGood strives to improve the global food economy from the bottom up by enabling customers with the ability to make informed purchases with a simplified scoring system based on a product's impact.