Being more open about where food comes from and how it’s processed is a growing trend. Some regulation and oversight drives this trend, of course.
The US Food and Drug Administration and the Food Modernization and Safety Act (FMSA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are just two of a number of bodies publishing rules and recommendations for the public in major consuming markets.
In a Forbes article published this fall, the c.e.o. and co-c.e.o. of Whole Foods market weighed in on this trend towards demanding more transparency. Walter Robb, the co-c.e.o., noted “…the food industry is going through a ‘tectonic shift’” because young adults want to know more about what they ingest.
This trend has not gone unnoticed in the coffee sector. Royal Coffee, a coffee importer based in Emeryville, Calif., plans to open an experimental and collaborative facility in Oakland, Calif. next year. “The Crown” will include spaces for the public to learn about how green coffee progresses to the roasts consumers buy.
This is one of many such interactive and educational spaces open now or coming soon in North America. Learn more: www.royalcoffee.com/thecrown