We’ve got a small activity for you. Without checking any labels (no cheating allowed!), open your cupboard and see if you can identify where your food has come from. No, we don’t mean whether you picked up a packet of biscuits from Coles or your local corner store. We mean where was the product made, and where did the ingredients it contains come from. 

You may have thought you were an advocate for local business and supporting Aussie farmers…but is your food telling a different story?  

Dig a little deeper and read some labels and you’ll find many of the products you have either contain or are solely produced using imported ingredients. Or, the product itself may be imported. And yes, while there are some cases where for one reason or another this is necessary, in many, many cases it’s not.

In the drive to supply cheaper foods and more widely available access to traditionally pricey food items, businesses have forgone quality, animal welfare and the protection of the environment. 

As consumers, we have our part to play. We need to know what we’re eating, where our food comes from and how it was produced. If we know these things, we’re empowered to make better decisions, for a better world. 

 

WHAT IS FOOD PROVENANCE?

Enter food provenance. Food provenance means knowing where your food comes from, and how it was produced, transported and delivered to you. 

Consumers want to eat, ‘local, ‘healthy and ‘real’ food. And that’s exactly the thinking behind food provenance.

Although food manufacturers in many cases go to great efforts to make you think food appears on the shelf magicially, there’s a (potentially) long supply chain behind each product. The problem with a supply chain is that its length, and what’s involved at each stage in the chain, determines exactly how sustainable the product on the supermarket shelf is. 

Here’s a general rule of thumb: if it’s not easy to identify where a product or its ingredients have come from, the manufacturer may have something to hide. This is exactly why transparency is so important! 

 

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

More and more, consumers are choosing brands that highlight the provenance of their products. There are some great benefits to this too.

If you’re to eat a sustainable diet, the amount of resources, energy and water used as part of the production process of the foods you consume needs to be reduced. To give some quick context:

• Food accounts for over a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions 
• Half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture
• 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture 

Now you may be thinking that’s not a problem, we all have to eat. Well, what about the fact all those resources are used for one third of food to end up as waste. Yes, in landfill! We’re wasting scarcely available resources for no benefit. 

A large part of this is the longer food has to travel, the more energy, water and other resources are used in its transportation (and preservation) to make it to your table. If we all bought and ate mainly from local producers, just imagine how many millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented every year.

We should also mention, fresher food tastes better! It’s a win-win. 

 

WHAT CAN I DO?

The most important thing you can do in relation to food provenance is to support local, Australian businesses. Educating yourself by reading labels and asking questions of suppliers empowers you to make better choices. 

Share what you find with your friends and family. Not only will you be consuming in-season, fresh, nutritious produce, you’ll also support Aussie farmers and local economies. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of stall owners. Get to know them and get to know the produce. 

 

DINEAMIC AND FOOD PROVENANCE

Here at Dineamic, food provenance has always been a key staple of our operations. In fact, that’s exactly why our ‘better for it’ slogan was created. 

Better for it means chef-prepared meals made fresh and as close to the source as possible. Local, ethical produce cooked to perfection, making the most of the natural nutrition and delicious flavours within. 

There’s a couple of parts to our ethos: 

Better for the planet 

Our team works hard to ensure we have as little impact on the earth as possible. We source sustainably grown ingredients from local Aussie farmers and package our meals in HaloPack eco packaging, which reduces over 20 tonnes of plastic a year. Our food is prepared in a 100% carbon neutral kitchen, and we only cook to order to minimise food waste.

Better for you 

Our beautifully balanced meals have been crafted by expert dietitians, using locally sourced and ethical ingredients. The result is food that not only tastes delicious but is packed full of nutrients. You can have peace of mind knowing our meals are really good for you and will provide essential nutrition for you to be the healthiest and best version of yourself.

 

TIME TO STOCK UP ON SOME FARM FRESH MEALS? 

Shop the full Dineamic range here.