Showing Off Your Organic Best!

Using Organic Ingredients to Promote Health and Sustainability

The popularity of books such as Food Rules and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and films like Food Inc. that feature both authors, testify to the public’s growing interest in eating more wholesome food. And some quick-service restaurants are responding to the demand.

O'Naturals in Falmouth, Maine is a prime example. Concerned about the growing obesity crisis and medical conditions caused by being overweight, Mac McCabe, CEO, and Gary Hirshberg, president, co-founded the eatery in 2001 to offer consumers a healthy alternative to other QSRs. Hirshberg also serves as president and CEO of Stonyfield Farms. “People love fat and salt and certain flavors. As an occasional treat, it’s okay. But as a lifestyle, it’s a problem,” says McCabe. “We want to educate people who are passionate about health.”

O’Naturals is “strictly natural” with some local organic menu items. McCabe notes that organics must bear the green and white USDA certified symbol. But knowing your source also makes a difference. “We know each farmer personally. While some may not be certified, we’ve been to the farms and are satisfied with the quality of the product.”

McCabe encourages other QSRs to work harder to offer healthier fare. “You have to make decisions you don’t necessarily want to make,” he says. “You have to be ‘ingredient fascists.’” He also emphasizes the importance of flavor. “At the end of the day, no one will come back if it doesn’t taste good.”

Consumer response

Former “fast-foodie” Brian Sofer, founder of the blog Organic Ingredients Now (OIN), now only patronizes establishments that serve natural and/or organic items, and launched a grassroots effort to urge more food establishments to make the switch.

“Big business responds and acts, based on customer feedback,” he says. To date, Sofer has received responses from the six quick-service restaurants he has approached about incorporating organics into their menus.  Some are, but not all are on board. Sofer plans to use a synchronized social networking approach to promote his philosophy. “[Organic] needs to become the norm. Prices will drop then,” he says.

The Hartman Group recently completed “Beyond Organic and Natural 2010: Resolving Confusion in Marketing Food and Beverages,” notes Arwen Kimmell, the company’s senior ethnographic analyst.  The study revealed that 28 percent of respondents hold a much better impression of a fast-food restaurant that features organic menu items, and 42 percent have a somewhat better impression.

“There was an increased perception of the quality of the food. Most people are not willing to pay for it though,” Kimmell says. Fifty-two percent would pay a little more and four percent would be willing to pay a lot more, according to the study. These statistics have not changed significantly since 2008.

“[Organic] needs to become the norm, ,” Brian Sofer, founder of Organic Ingredients Now (OIN)

Kimmell adds that restaurants need to issue a clear message when it comes to organics. “Most people are unaware of the sustainable attributes [of organics]. They are not attuned to how these foods help the environment,” she says. “Our general recommendation is to include some organic items, but don’t go all organic.”

Financial stumbling block

Since some organic ingredients cost more initially, QSR owners must be sure that customers will support higher prices, according to Olivier Arizzi, brand marketing manager for Le Pain Quotidien, a patisserie with locations in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states from Connecticut to Virginia. “You have to sell the fact that it’s organic,” he says, suggesting that quick-service restaurant owners who offer organic menu items reflect the inclusion of high-quality, good tasting ingredients in their price list. “The rough rule, depending on which ingredients you use, is to add between 20 and 100 percent to the cost.”

Michael Oshman, CEO of the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), agrees that cost is the biggest reason to convert your menu gradually. “You can’t change the market overnight. But with increased consumption, the price goes down,” he says.

Oshman also urges restaurants to broadcast their focus on organic and natural menu items through transparency, which promotes trust and develops lasting relationships with diners. The non-profit GRA lists restaurants that serve certified organic foods on its Web site.

The number of restaurants that serve some percentage of organic food items has doubled in the United States and in Canada in both 2008 and 2009, according to Oshman. “Organic is the platinum standard,” he says, adding that if all restaurants incorporated some organic ingredients, the impact on society and the environment would be tremendous.