The food industry hasn’t missed the fact that many people are hopping on the green bandwagon. But how can you tell the difference between true sustainability and marketing baloney? Anna Lappe lists the five least green claims in her book Diet for a Hot Planet, excerpted by Salon:
- Sara Lee: Eco-Grain wheat made its debut in the company’s EarthGrains bread, and allegedly will “save the earth, one field at a time.” But Eco-Grain is just one-fifth of a loaf’s total grain—and Sara Lee paid a settlement in 2003 after charges that EarthGrains plants produced nasty chemicals.
- Fiji Water: The company said it would go “carbon negative,” offsetting 120% of its emissions through renewable energy projects and other means—but those carbon credits will occur sometime in the next few decades, as opposed to, you know, the near future.