Photo: Savor the taste of sustainability! This dish, made with locally grown organic vegetables, highlights the rich flavors of Phuket, Thailand, while supporting a greener future. Photo provided by the authors.
Bridging farmers, restaurants, and consumers for a greener future JAFSCD peer-reviewed article by Natapol Thongplew (Ubon Ratchathani U), Kanang Kantamaturapoj (Mahidol U), Sittidaj Pongkijvorasin (Chulalongkorn U), Parcharapat Tawinnorppanan (Chulalongkorn U), and Pia Laborgne (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)
A new study on the sustainability of organic restaurant supply chains in Bangkok and Metropolitan Area (BMA) and Phuket in Thailand reveals both progress and challenges in the journey towards a more sustainable food system. Researchers have identified key sustainability dimensions—economic, environmental and welfare, sociocultural, and governance—that indicate how organic restaurants serve as crucial mediators between farmers and consumers. While the organic food movement is gaining traction, gaps in economic viability and environmental sustainability persist, pointing to the need for more collaboration and consumer awareness.
Key findings
Strong Sociocultural and Governance Dimensions: Organic restaurants have successfully built relationships among farmers, restaurants, and consumers, promoting the local food culture and ensuring food safety through transparent communication and certification.
Economic and Environmental Challenges Remain: While organic food pricing is seen as fair, issues like job creation, renewable energy adoption, and water conservation are less prioritized by stakeholders.
Consumer Awareness Needs Strengthening: Many consumers are unaware of sustainability efforts by farmers and restaurants, such as fair labor practices and energy-efficient operations, which limits their role in promoting sustainable consumption.
Recommendations for policy and practice
Conducting quantitative methods to obtain measurable data regarding sustainability criteria (e.g., water footprint at farms and restaurants and carbon footprint of food miles) would be beneficial in accurately gauging the current status of the sustainability criteria and setting tangible targets for the sustainability criteria.
The engagement of customers and consumers in the sustainable food supply chain should be studied to find suitable alternative ways in which to engage customers in the environmental and social sustainability of the supply chain.
Read the paper at Food Systems Journal.
Read more about the project at sustainablefood-sc.org.