In 1979, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) founded World Food Day on October 16. If Earth Day is a call to action to take care of our earth, then World Food Day is a call to action to combat hunger!

Just like we learned during Food Literacy Month, the FAO says, “The food you choose and the way you consume it affects our health and that of our planet. As a global community, we each have a role to play in the transformation of agri-food systems—from governments to private companies, farmers, civil society, academia, and all individuals, including youth! Together we can empower each and every element of our agri-food systems to collaborate more fairly, sustainably, and inclusively from farm to table, beyond.” 

The FAO has recommendations for each area of our food system, including in the private sector. Read on to see how Nugget Markets is doing our part!

Sustainable sourcing means that companies are mindful of their impact on the planet’s natural resources and embrace transparency every step of the way. We created our Lifestyle Icons to call out the most important labels such as Organic, Local, CA-Grown and Non-GMO to help our guests better understand their food choices. We are proud of our many partners that promote healthy ecosystems, humane animal husbandry and living wages for their workers!

Packaging well means using packaging that increases food safety and longer shelf life while respecting the environment. In our efforts, we consider the balance between Social responsibility, Environmental stewardship and Economic vitality (SEE-ing sustainability!). By balancing these pillars of sustainability, we believe the best way to safeguard the environment is by reducing the production of all waste, rather than trading the type of waste that gets recycled. Our aim in every department is to be as sustainable as possible, while ensuring not only the quality of our food, but its safety. When we can, we move away from plastic, such as in the following departments:

• Deli: The brown box containers at our hot bars and salad bars are made with 30% recycled content.
• Coffee & Juice Bar: When ordering any cold drink, it will come in a cup with a strawless lid. If you can’t live without the straw, we offer straws made from bamboo or reusable straws for purchase.
• Specialty Cheese: Many of our cheeses are hand-wrapped with Ovtene, a reusable wrap that uses 55% less plastic and 100% less water in the production process.
• Meat: We are happy to wrap any meats from our case in butcher paper.
• Produce: Since bulk fruits and veggies do not require packaging, our guests are always welcome to go bag/plastic free.
• Checkout: Along with having reusable bags for sale, we offer reusable plastic grocery bags at our checkstands which are made with 90% recycled content and 50% green energy, and are designed to be used more than 125 times. We also offer paper bags which are 40% post-consumer recycled content and certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative!

Reducing food waste means managing food from sourcing to production, leftovers and waste, along with donating healthy and nutritious food to food banks. Fighting hunger is near and dear to our hearts, with 15–20% of the people in each of our communities suffering from food insecurity or being unsure where their next meal will come from. We have a very robust Food Recovery Program and Composting Program. All 17 of our locations compost their inedible food waste—annually, we compost about 15 million pounds of food waste! All of our locations also work hyperlocally with the food bank in the community. Annually, we donate about 800,000 pounds of food!

We are celebrating World Food Day by tabling at select stores across our company. We invite you to join us to learn more about hunger and the ways we’re combatting it in our communities:

• Friday, October 8 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. at Nugget Markets, Davis (Covell Blvd.)
• Wednesday, October 13 from 2–4 p.m. at Nugget Markets, Sacramento 
• Friday, October 15 from 12–2 p.m. at Nugget Markets, Roseville (Blue Oaks Blvd.)
• Tuesday, October 19 from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at Sonoma Market
• Friday, October 22 from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at Nugget Markets, El Dorado Hills

Drop by one of our events to learn more about World Food Day and the food banks and food agencies in our area doing incredible work!