Study explores how food industries go green

Study explores how food industries go green

May 11, 2020 LA GRANDE, Ore. –  On a scale from one to 100, Eastern Oregon University business instructor Kat Yamamoto found that the global food industry’s sustainability engagement scored at about 26. The lower the score, the more improvements a food company has to make toward being more engaged in sustainability. 

Inspired by mentor Gary Keller, EOU MBA alumna and adjunct business instructor Kat Yamamoto is presenting her doctoral dissertation, “Institutional factors’ influence on the global food industry sustainability engagement” in a virtual EOU Colloquium on Tuesday, May 12.

Sustainability engagement, also known as Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social, and Governance, data assesses how food companies use their resources, treat their employees, protect the environment and produce wholesome food for consumption.

Yamamoto tested six hypotheses to examine the relationship between sustainability engagement and individual countries’ institutional factors.

Yamamoto’s research examines four industries’ relationships with sustainability engagement in fiscal year 2017: restaurants, food sellers, beverages and food products. 

Yamamoto examined six institutional factors, including a country’s response to environmental performance, food loss or waste, sustainable agriculture, nutritional challenges, national cultures’ risk-avoidance and long-term orientation. 

This study found statistically significant associations between food company sustainability engagement and three institutional factors: national sustainable agriculture implementation, national uncertainty avoidance, and national long-term orientation. 

Yamamoto’s research revealed a correlation between sustainable agriculture implementation and how food companies meet the regulations of the country they are in. Additionally, the more risk-averse a company is, the more likely they are to participate in sustainable practices. Lastly, Yamamoto found national long-term orientation increases a company’s effort in sustainability engagement. 

The Colloquium presentation begins at 4 p.m., Tuesday and will be held over Zoom at https://eou.zoom.us/j/99472297232?pwd=L3RqUzhoWkpHZzc1cmJKSEdLczFWZz09 or 1-346-248-7799. The Meeting ID is 994 7229 7232.

The event is free and open to the public.

Written by PR Intern Briana Rosenkranz.