We know that buying food grown locally is a big part of sustainability, with fewer food miles reducing both greenhouse gases and food wastage. But there are so many ways producers ensure what they do is good for us and the environment. Here are just a handful of the Buy West Eat Best members walking the talk.
Albany Farm Fresh Foods
Colin and Beau Ford believe in creating an environment to suit animals, rather than the other way around. When they say Albany Farm Fresh Foods is truly free range, they mean it. They keep their numbers small to ensure their animals get the highest standard of care, including constant access to fresh air, clean water and sun protection. Their pigs come and go as they please, sunbathing and socialising on the Cranbrook farm. Their chickens are raised on rotating pastures to give the land a chance to recover. Because Colin, who grew up on a pig farm in the UK, knows that looking after animals means you also have to look after the land. They believe all this love and care results in not just happier animals, but superior produce. Try their Albany Farm Fresh Eggs and Frankland River Pork.
Bannister Downs Dairy
In 2023, Bannister Downs Dairy became the first dairy in Australia to adopt a 2L bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastics, that is also fully recyclable once you’ve drunk the good stuff. But it’s just part of the dairy’s sustainability story. The Daubney family’s ethical dairy practices have been embedded over a century in the belief that “if you look after your animals, they will look after you”. This means ensuring their “girls” have access to abundant pasture in the most pristine conditions. As caretakers of the land, the Daubneys are always looking for ways to protect and nourish it for future generations. This includes reducing waste, increasing the use of solar energy, and embracing innovative practices. All while delivering the highest quality fresh milk, cream and flavoured milk.
Dandaragan Organic Beef
The Cook family has been farming in the Dandaragan region about 200km north of Perth for more than a century. They converted Noondel, the family farm, and nearby property Tekymbah to organic in 2000 and are now WA’s largest producer of certified organic beef and lamb. Dandaragan Organic Beef uses grazing methods that mimic those of wild herding animals, perennial pastures and low-stress stock handling. Indeed, the cattle are so content, they can usually be whistled through to the next paddock rather than being herded up with vehicles – they know they are moving to fresh pastures. Certified organic also means no pesticides, artificial fertilisers, hormones or antibiotics. You can buy boxes of their organic beef or lamb online or find a retailer near you.
Dirty Clean Food
This online farmers market has a mission to stock only the best for conscious foodies – tried and tested by conscious foodies. Dirty Clean Food sources produce from farmers across Western Australia who care about the environment as much as the food they grow in it. Local farmers and producers who use regenerative practices to create ‘clean food’ that is good for you and the planet. You can buy everything from homemade arancini to certified organic spuds, beef flank to tasty truffles at this ethically-driven marketplace. If you have a big freezer or a large group of family and friends, you can also order in bulk – such as whole sides of regenerative black Angus beef – and help cut wastage and make your ingredients go further. And it’s all delivered to your door.
Sweeter Banana
Each year, Australians waste about 7.6 million tonnes of food or about 310kg per person a year, costing up to $2100 per household a year, as well as contributing about 3 percent of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. The group of passionate growers behind Sweeter Banana Co-operative couldn’t stand seeing so many good bananas go to waste simply because of superficial skin markings, so they did something about it. Bananas once rejected for their less than perfect appearance have been turned into the Smoothies brand, perfect for smoothies or cakes. Then there is their banana bread, crafted from three simple ingredients – Carnarvon Sweeter Bananas being the star, of course. The latest innovation, freeze-dried bananas, is another way to eat this delicious and nutrient-packed fruit and cut back on waste.