Better meat is coming to fast food

I've been going on about it for a few years now, but it's actually happening.

Chipotle dropped the gauntlet with its promise of more local, sustainable sources. McDonald's has tried to become more transparent about its farm-to-fork supply chain (especially in Canada and Australia). Also in Canada, an independent A&W promises "hormone-free" beef and chicken raised without antibiotics.

Now American chain Carl's Jr. (whose gratuitously sexed-up ads frequently feature here) is doing something really smart: They're offering their customers a choice.

According to Burger Business, Carl’s Jr. is ready to introduce the first “all-natural, no hormones, no antibiotics, no steroids, grass-fed, free-range beef patty” from any major quick-service (fast food) chain in the United States.

But they're not replacing their ordinary beef burgers, just offering the more natural beef as an upgrade:

“We’ve seen a growing demand for ‘cleaner,’ more natural food, particularly among Millennials, and we’re proud to be the first major fast-food chain to offer an all-natural beef patty burger on our menu. Millennials include our target of ‘Young Hungry Guys’ and they are much more concerned about what goes into their bodies than previous generations,” Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl’s Jr., said in a statement announcing the new burger. “Whether you’re into more natural foods or not, it’s simply a damn good burger.”

Great news for people concerned about where their meat comes from, and how the animal lived. Now it's up to the restaurant's regulars to put their money where their mouths are.

Vanessa Paradis explores the domestic jungle for H&M

I like this new ad for H&M's "Conscious Collection" of more sustainable clothing.



Just because you have signed on Vanessa Paradis to be the face of your collection doesn't mean you have to focus on her sex appeal. Instead, this ad is a beautiful piece of eye candy for corporate social responsibility. The parallax-effect scrolling web site is also quite lush.

H/T The Drum

A fishy tribute?

Something fishy is going on here.

This hilarious spot for Britain's John West Tuna:



Is a note-for-note parody of this famous sequence from BBC's Nature's Great Events:



A tribute? Perhaps. But if you're going to channel the great Sir David Attenborough, you'd better respect nature.

According to John West's site, they do:

At John West, we recognise our responsibility to protect the environment. That’s why we are committed to sourcing tuna from sustainable fish stocks. Our reputable suppliers comply with our strict guidelines and ensure the fishing methods used to catch our tuna abide by international standards.

John West only sources its tuna from fishing vessels that have been certified Dolphin Friendly by the Earth Island Institute. We use the Purse Seine fishing method to catch tuna for our canned products and have full traceability of the fish used. Our tuna products are labelled in accordance with the Australian and New Zealand Foods Standards Code.

We use Skipjack for more than 90% of our tuna products, with the remaining products using Tongal. We do not use Yellowfin, Bigeye or Southern Blue Fin. All of our tuna is sourced from the Indian and Western and Central Pacific oceans.

We also work with independent organisations and suppliers to raise awareness of our sustainability protocol. John West encourages responsible fishing practices globally and is supportive of initiatives that encourage sound management of tuna resources now and into the future.

Good. You don't want to piss Sir David off.

The man has powerful friends.

Can the Shat save the salmon?

Today in Ottawa, William Shatner will join New Westminster–Coquitlam NDP MP Fin Donnelly, marine biologist Alexandra Morton and Chief Bob Chamberlain of Kwicksutaineuk Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation to speak in support of a New Democrat bill that would force BC salmon farmers to move their operations to closed-containment tanks and away from coastal waters.

The Shat won't be appearing in person, though, but will join via communicator from his base in L.A.

"Must... SAVE... the... SALmon..."

The Private Member's bill in question calls for an amendment to the Fisheries Act requiring that commercial fish farming be carried out in closed containment pens within five years. It was actually inspired by Grade 10 student Thea Block, who works summers on her father's fishing boat out of Cortes Island, B.C.

Thea won an NDP-sponsored contest that asked high school students to submit proposals for legislation.

According to David Suzuki's web site, sustainable aquaculture must meet the following:

• Uses less wild caught fish (in the form of fish meal and fish oil) than it produces in the form of edible marine fish protein, and thus provides net protein gains for society;
• Does not pose a substantial risk of deleterious effects on wild fish stocks through the escape of farmed fish ;
• Does not pose a substantial risk of deleterious effects on wild fish stocks through the amplification, retransmission or introduction of disease or parasites;
• Employs methods to treat and reduce the discharge of organic waste and other potential contaminants so that the resulting discharge does not adversely affect the surrounding ecosystem; and
• Implements and enforces all local, national and international laws and customs and utilizes a precautionary approach (which favours conservation of the environment in the face of irreversible environmental risks) for daily operations and industry expansion.

Landlocked salmon farms are uncommon, but creativity and technological innovation are needed if we want our grandchildren to enjoy one of Canada's most prestigious food fish.

"LLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOXXXXXX!"

I'll update once the press conference coverage comes in.

UPDATE (10 pm) Here is what he said:

“Salmon feed and nurture not only the animals that are on the land but the sea as well, and the plants and trees and shrubbery,” the 79-year-old actor’s disembodied voice told a news conference Thursday that had been organized by the New Democrats.

“The fauna and the flora of the British Columbia river shores and rivers are nurtured by the salmon. Without the salmon, they die. And when they die, [there is] a huge rent in the tapestry of nature in that area. It is a basic species that must be saved.”