Something’s wrong with the way we eat and it’s influencing the way we farm
FACT: Fifty percent of all produce in the United States ends up in the garbage – about 60 million tons annually.
FACT: Discarded food takes up more room in landfills than any other single type of waste.
FACT: About 85% of Americans do not consume the US Food and Drug Administration’s recommended daily intakes of the most important vitamins and minerals necessary for proper physical and mental development.
FACT: On most farms, after harvesting the initial heads of broccoli, the stems and leaves are shredded and tilled back into the soil. Although reintroducing plant matter back into the soil can be beneficial, it can also increase soil born disease and potential foreign objects for the next crop.
FACT: Broccoli stems and leaves are just as nutritious as the florets.
Each of these facts is compelling on its own, but listed together they tell the story of a broken food system: We precision-farm to produce vegetables that are visually pleasing, favoring certain parts of the plant over others, despite the fact that all edible parts of the plant are nutrient-rich, and we are nutrient-deprived.
After farming for nearly 50 years, we at Spinaca Farms are convinced: there is a better way. We call it Root-to-Shoot™.
Minimizing waste, maximizing sustainability and nutrition while harnessing the power of the modern industrial food system is the next chapter in the Spinaca Farms story. Our Root-To-Shoot organic farming philosophy takes the entire plant into account, using each and every part – whether pristine, ugly or “orphaned” in the field – to develop products that keep produce out of landfills, boost nutritional value in foods with high-quality plant-based ingredients and provide consumers with as many healthy options as possible, in every aisle of the supermarket.
Using organic kale as an example, Spinaca Farms has the capability to package beautiful leaves for sale on the wet rack or provide chopped leaves & stems that are destined for the frozen aisle. But we also have the capability to powder, juice and/or puree our kale to be shelf-stable and usable in any number of applications.
Some of the unorthodox places we’d like to see our veggies show up include:
Vegetable-based pastas and sausages
Protein bars
Integrative medicine products
Juice boosts
Canine/feline food and dental products
Biodegradable, compostable packaging, insulation and servingware
Cosmetics
MRE (Meal Ready-To-Eat) and other institutional foods
Therapeutic foods to fight malnutrition and hunger worldwide