Are you ready to transform your dining experience and make every bite count towards a better planet? Sustainable food is here to lead the way. According to a study, eliminating animal agriculture and its products in the next 15 years would yield an impact equivalent to a 68% reduction in CO2 emissions by the year 2100. So, let us switch to sustainable food brands with this list that can help minimize environmental harm.
Sustainable Food Brands
Before diving into the best food brands in the market, let us know what is food sustainability and why it is important. These foods are produced, processed, and distributed in a manner that minimizes negative environmental impacts, promotes social responsibility, and ensures long-term economic viability.
These foods are cultivated, harvested, and consumed in ways that support ecological balance, and conserve natural resources.
| Brand name | Products | Sustainable Approach |
| Nature Path | Organic snacks, cereals, granola, bars, oatmeal Waffles, and chips | Pledged to 100% reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging by 2025. |
| Beyond Meat | Chicken-style nuggets, mince, meatballs, sausage-ready meals | Beyond Burger has 93% less impact on land compared to a beef burger. |
| Lundberg | Quinoa, brown syrup, chips, rice cakes,90-sec instant rice | They keep their soil healthy allowing carbon capture with a 99.7% recycling rate on their farms |
| Oatly | Oat yogurts, oat milk, and oats spread | They aim to decrease the climate footprint per liter of Oatly produced by 70% by 2029 |
| Gomacro | Protein, snack macrobars, Minibars | Shifting their facilities to a 100% renewable model with solar and wind installations. |
Now, let’s go through the sustainable food brands list in detail.
1. Nature’s Path
This brand has dietary categories like keto, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and low sodium. Nature Path has a prominent sustainability target of donating at least 2 million dollars to food banks. This sustainable brand offers food selections from various labels, including EnviroKidz, Love Crunch, Que Pasa, and Qi’a.
It offers organic snacks, cereals, granola, bars, oatmeal, waffles, and chips.
Sustainability Approach: The company pledged to 100% reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging by 2025. Each year, their farm single-handedly averts over 1.4 million pounds of chemical or synthetic fertilizers and 19,000 pounds of pesticide-active ingredients from potentially contaminating the soil.
2. Beyond Meat
These food producers are experts in producing high-quality plant-based protein, with no cholesterol, making this company one of the best sustainable food brands on the list. Beyond Meat has partnered with the best fast food giants like Yum! Brands, KFC Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
Products are chicken-style nuggets, mince, Italian-style meatballs, sausage, ready meals chili with coriander rice & keema curry, and pilau rice.
Sustainability Approach: Their website highlights the study by the University of Michigan that producing a Beyond Burger consumes notably less water, land, and energy, resulting in 90% less emissions of GHGs and 93% less impact on land compared to a beef burger.
3. Oatly
Established 30 years ago, being one of the best brands for oat milk, this company derives all its products from dairy-free and gluten-free or GMO-free materials. Oatly, in a landmark partnership with McDonald’s(Austria), one of the largest fast food brands, introduced Oatly Barista, a beverage highlight showcasing their brand.
Their delicacies include oat yogurts, oat milk, and oats spreads.
Sustainability Approach: By 2029, they aim to decrease the climate footprint per liter of Oatly produced by 70%, aligning with a 1.5-degree Celsius climate pathway.
4. LUNDBERG FAMILY FARMS
Having a history of 80 years in organic farming and regenerative farming practices, they keep soil healthy and maintain carbon capture with a 99.7% recycling rate in their sites avoiding landfills. Lundberg rice is USDA organic, Regenerative Organic Certified, NON-GMO Project Verified, and Gluten certified.
The company mainly offers sustainable rice and also sells quinoa, brown syrup, chips, rice cakes, and 90-sec instant rice.
Sustainability work: The team also takes care of animal welfare by providing habitat for ducks, preserving duck nests and eggs, and creating wetlands for migratory birds.
5. Gomacro
These vegan, gluten-free, plant-based protein bars are 100% organic. The brand’s facilities run entirely on renewable solar and wind energy. Through upcycling or recycling, they divert a significant portion of their yearly waste. Additionally, they’ve planted over 1,000 acres of forest, achieving carbon-neutral status.
Available products under GOMACRO are Protein MacroBars, Snack Marco Bars, Kids MacroBars, and Macro Bars Minis.
Sustainability Approach: All of their packaging is either recyclable or compostable thanks to their successful partnership with Terracycle, which diverts waste to recycling. Moving forward, they aim to maintain their 100% renewable energy use and carbon neutrality by expanding solar panels and wind power installations at their facilities.
6. No Evil Foods
Minimally processed, without protein isolates, and low on fat and carbs make this plant-based protein company one of the best among sustainable vegan food brands. No Evil Foods is also certified as a plastic-negative product.
The product line includes Italian Sausage, Pulled Pork and Beef in vegan options.
Sustainability: No Evil Foods prints with 100% renewable wind power and uses SFI-certified paper board. For every pound of plastic used to wrap the meat, two pounds are removed from ecosystems.
Also See: 21 Best Sustainable and Ethical Chocolate Brands
7. Alara
Evolving in the 90s as a fair trade company, the company has been recently promoted to NetZero Carbon food venture. Alara made history as the world’s first cereal company to achieve organic certification, transitioning later into a fully vegan brand. . Their package may seem like see trough cover but is home-compostable eucalyptus cellulose.
This London-based brand produces locally sourced, organic superfoods, granola, muesli, cereal-based, gluten-free porridge, and sustainable snacks.
Sustainability Approach: Their business practices align with ten of the United Nations’ SDGs, reflecting their commitment to ethics and values.
8. One Degree Organic Foods
All their products like oatmeal, granola, flour, bread, legumes, and seeds, or cereal are organic, free from glyphosate and artificial ingredients.
One Degree Foods provides a QR code on the packing so you can trace the ingredients.
Sustainability Approach: They maintain standards in organic, plant-based, and eco-friendly farming practices, with a commitment to 100% transparency, you can confidently trust and know these farmers as well.
9. Island Bakery
Tea with biscuits is a timeless combination, what if organic also joins the duo? Island Bakery produces different types of biscuits, and oatcakes ranging in flavors orange, cranberry, and lemon. The process does not have to indulge in artificial flavors, preservatives, and GMOs.
Sustainability Approach: The energy used by them is renewable powered by wind and water. The cardboard cartons used for packing are carbon-balanced.
10. Wholy Greens
What if pasta is for dinner and you want the goodness of veggies but are too lazy to cook? Here is an idea, Wholy Greens pasta is made of 50% veggies and includes dietary fiber for a good gut.
The different kinds of pasta available are campanelle, zucca, and fusilli with flavors of spinach, pumpkin, carrot, and beetroot.
Sustainability Approach: Veggies are upcycled through purchases from farmers of their leftover crops instead of going to landfills. They tied up with organic farmers and believe healthy soil gives healthy veggies.
11. Pana Organic
Indulge in scoops of sweetness with this eco-friendly ice cream brand. Pana Organic, an Australian brand sells ice cream and other sweet delicacies frozen desserts, spreads baking, and drinking blends that are pure organic vegan and gluten-free.
Their chocolate bars come wrapped in 100% recycled cardboard, and adorned with non-toxic, vegetable-based inks. This makes them one of the top sustainable food brands in the market.
Sustainability Approach: Their chocolate factory boasts 152 solar panels atop its roof, providing a monthly average of 15% green energy to the operations. Plus, they planted over 55,000 trees and continue to grow.
12. The Vegan Dairy
This cheese melts not just mouths but also hearts as it is cruelty-free and plant-based. Vegan Dairy cheese is made traditionally from 100% natural ingredients that are organic, vegan, dairy, and lactose-free.
The product line includes butter, cream, and cheese.
To minimize their ecological impact, they’ve substituted cashews, a common ingredient in vegan cheese, with a more sustainable alternative, hemp, in select products.
Sustainability Approach: 100% recyclable retail packaging of everything, They pack feta in mason jars instead of plastic so that you can reuse jars like coffee cups and herb shakers.
Also, check out the Sustainable Packaging Manufacturers,
13. Lazy Vegan
A quick-to-prepare meal full of veggies and 100% natural ingredients is what we wish for in our busy lives. Lazy Vegan offers a variety of foods that can be just prepared as fast as 8 minutes.
Some of their popular meals are Korean noodles, tikka masala, Pasta al pesto, Italian Risotto, and Thai green curry
Sustainability Approach: The website says – By having one high-quality vegan meal you save the average Amsterdam garden 7.9 sq km of land.
14. Good Catch
Offering the best alternative to seafood, GoodCatch transforms fish sticks and salmon burgers into vegan delights. It includes a protein-packed six-legume blend of peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy, fava beans, and navy beans.
Products are plant-based food fish sticks, fish fillets, vegan Salmon burgers plant-based carb cakes, and plant-based tuna.
Sustainability Approach: No sea animal is harmed for making these products or for any ingredient.
15. The Tofoo Company
Being a key producer of tofu in the sustainable food industry, the company ensures the quality of its soybeans through testing for GM components by organizations like the Organic Food Federation or the Soil Association. The Tofoo Company is known for its traditional Japanese recipe of 3 natural key ingredients water, soya beans, and nigari (created from seawater) which do not add any preservatives.
The product range includes the tofu block, marinated tofu, scrambled tofu, tempeh (marinated pieces).
Sustainability Approach: The cardboard used for packing is from sources that can be recycled.
16. Alpro
Since 1980, their motto has been “Help people make positive choices about food”, offering a range of products including drinks, barista drinks, and plant-based alternatives to yogurt. All of these are crafted with the finest plant-based ingredients. Alpro is a B corp B-certified brand.
Sustainability Approach: Cartons are from renewable paper (70% of the total) and coffee cups are made up of PP making them 100% recyclable and can be recycled, aluminium is also used in packing liquid proof and storage.
17. Vital Farms
Do you like your egg boiled or sunny side? These farms are famous for their pasture-raised eggs, sourced from hens raised on 300 family farms.
Vital Farms is Certified by B corporation. Each carton has the farm name with a 360-degree view of the pasture.
Sustainability Approach: Their goal is to mitigate climate risk in their operations and supply chain by 2027.
18. Violife
This vegan community in Thessalonica and Greece offers 100% vegan products, completely free from dairy, allergens, nuts, GMOs, and preservatives. Their products are enriched with Vitamin B12.
Violife product range includes slices, blocks, grated, and creamy options, available in various flavors like Cheddar shreds, Gouda, and Mozzarella. These products melt, grill, and grate effortlessly, making them perfect for toasting, roasting, cooking, and spreading.
Sustainable Approach: Through their unique products, like dairy-free alternatives, they are promoting a vegan lifestyle for the harmony of animals and the environment.
Must Read: 25+ Facts About Food Production
Factors to Consider When Selecting Ethical and Sustainable Food Brands
1. Environmental Impact: It encompasses factors such as water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and chemical usage. Eco-friendly food brands prioritize practices that use organic farming methods and reduce pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
2. Certifications: Look for certifications from reputable organizations that verify a brand’s ethnicity. Examples include USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Certified B Corporation.
3. Packaging for Sustainability: Choose brands that prioritize eco-friendly packaging solutions, such as biodegradable materials, and recyclable or compostable packaging to reduce waste. Companies also minimize their carbon footprint during production and transportation.
4. Farmer’s Trade: Ethical food brands support fair trade practices to ensure that farmers receive fair compensation for their labor and produce.
5. Animal Welfare: Look for certifications such as Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved, or labels indicating pasture-raised, free-range practices. These certifications ensure that animals are raised in environments that allow for natural behaviors, access to outdoor spaces, and humane slaughter practices.
The sustainable food brands mentioned above not only offer nutritious and delicious products but also contribute to the health of our planet. We must choose brands that have minimal carbon footprint during production and transportation. To explore more sustainable content, check out this dedicated category.
