sustainability ... food safety ... interesting similarities

Funny how things hit us. Starting blog has been in the back of my mind for some time now,  reading the article grn.bz/o2k9AB "Starbucks' Third Cup Summit Marks Progress, Challenges in Recycling"   this morning became the impetus.

As I read this article, words came to mind from a friend of mind who is a food safety manager for Wegmans (a very progressive grocer based in the Northeast US). We were at a Boy Scout camp-out, just talking about things. The discussion topic moved into the area of food safety, and while I can't remember the specific question I posed, it centered on food safety practices as a market advantage. His response was prompt and memorable ... "Tom, when it comes to food safety, Wegmans it isn't about competition.  It is to assure that the public is as safe as possible." He went on to explain that Wegmans works in concert with all other area grocers, sharing best practice to assure public safety.

That message stuck with me. It was comforting in a way to believe that there are instances when the greater good rises above competition.

Well, how does that tie into Starbucks, quite simply. As one pauses to think, it is easy to understand the importance of collaboration regarding food safety ... it relates directly to the health and wellness of our society. Interesting that Starbucks is taking a VERY similar view on sustainability ... it isn't about competition, it's about taking proactive steps to assure the sustainability of our society.


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