Building a transparent supply chain is no longer a niche pursuit, but a fundamental imperative for value-conscious restaurant operators in 2025. The industry’s growing demand for transparency drives the need for ethical sourcing — building a supply chain that prioritizes responsible practices throughout, from farm and factory to fork.
Responsible consumers want to know where their meals come from, how they are produced, and the impact those ingredients have on the environment and society. And since food prices have risen so sharply over the past few years, consumers now more than ever, want to feel good about where their dollars are going.
In Part One of a two-part series, we focus on the foundation of building transparency by partnering with the right suppliers. We’ll explore the core principles of traceability and accountability, offering practical strategies for identifying ethical suppliers, and navigating the complexities of responsible sourcing.
A Clear View Through the Chain

Establishing a transparent supply chain hinges upon two factors: traceability and accountability.
Traceability means restaurant operators can track the origin of their ingredients, from the farm or fishery to the processing facility and, ultimately, to their own kitchens. Traceability necessitates strong relationships with suppliers who can readily provide details regarding agricultural practices, labor conditions, and environmental impact.
The second factor, accountability, is the alignment between a restaurant’s stated values and its sourcing practices. It requires verifying that suppliers adhere to ethical and sustainable standards, which is often achieved through third-party certifications or on-site audits.
Separating the Wheat From the Chaff

Establishing a truly ethical and sustainable supply chain requires a proactive and multifaceted approach. However, setting out to identify reputable suppliers and navigating the complexities of ethical sourcing can be a daunting task. Below are several paths you can take to move forward.
Certifications
To overcome these challenges, first look for recognized certifications that hold a lot of weight in our industry and to our customers. Examples of programs that establish rigorous standards for ethical labor, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare include but are not limited to:
Fair Trade
Ensures fair prices and good working conditions for producers of coffee, chocolate, bananas, etc., in developing countries. This certification also prohibits child labor. To see why this certification is so necessary, please refer to The List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, updated in 2024.
Rainforest Alliance
Requires farms to minimize deforestation, conserve water, improve soil health, and other initiatives to protect biodiversity and change how the world farms.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
This certification ensures fishing practices protect marine life and ecosystems. They’re on a mission to end overfishing and ensure seafood is fished sustainably. Purchasing from suppliers who have earned this certification also helps to show that you take fish fraud prevention seriously, an issue many bad actors have brought to the table.
Certified Humane Raised & Handled
Focuses on animal welfare throughout the farm-to-plate process. Their overall goal is to improve the lives of farm animals by expanding consumer awareness, driving the demand for kinder and more responsible farm animal practices.
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
Requires producers to protect rainforests, peatlands, and wildlife habitats to minimize environmental and social impact. By setting the environmental and social standards for certified sustainable palm oil, RSPO Members are making sure this impact is as far-reaching as possible.
Dolphin-Safe (Earth Island Institute)
Ensures tuna is caught using methods to minimize dolphin mortality. Currently, Mexican, Venezuelan, and Colombian tuna fleets continue to chase, net, and drown thousands of dolphins annually.
Non-GMO Project Verified
Verifies products do not contain genetically modified organisms above a certain threshold, focusing on transparency in the food supply chain.
B Corp
Focuses on social responsibility, employee wellbeing, environmental impact, and transparency by measuring a company’s entire social and environmental impact.
Bird-Friendly Coffee (Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center)
Requires coffee farms to maintain shade trees/bird habitats. For more information on coffee-specific certifications, please refer to Coffee Certifications: A Guide for Foodservice Professionals.
Demeter Association (Demeter-USA)
Emphasizes composting, natural pest control, biodynamic agriculture, soil health and ecological balance. They’ve set standards for farming, processing, labeling, bee keeping, and composting, offering a biodynamic certification.
Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)
Verifies regenerative agricultural processes that improve soil health and biodiversity. They offer certification for food, textiles, and personal care ingredients. Regenerative Organic Certified farms and products meet the highest standards in the world for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness.
Many of the websites listed can also provide information on certified companies and their performance.
Transparency Reports
While certifications offer a strong foundation, they are not a silver bullet. For example, a Fair Trade certification guarantees minimum prices paid to farmers, but it doesn’t necessarily address environmental sustainability. So, you’ll also need to evaluate a supplier’s commitment to transparency by reviewing their sustainability reports and websites.
Many companies publish their own annual/biannual environmental and social governance statements and sustainability reports that provide detailed information on their goals, progress, and performance. Look for information on sourcing policies, supplier assessments, ethical sourcing initiatives, renewable energy use, waste reduction, water conservation, packaging sustainability, labor standards, human rights, community engagement, diversity, and inclusion.
Websites like EcoVadis or Science Based Target initiatives (SBTi) are further resources designed to help businesses and organizations improve their sustainability performance and contribute to global sustainability goals. While they have different approaches, both platforms aim to drive positive environmental and social impact.
Industry Associations
To effectively network, begin by engaging with industry associations that champion ethical sourcing. A fast way to make connections is to participate in educational workshops and conferences that connect you with like-minded businesses and resources.
For example, the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is a US-based non-profit that provides certification for restaurants committed to environmental sustainability. They offer certification programs that recognize different levels of sustainability achievement, educational resources, and an online community to connect and share best practices.
Direct Relationships
Another best practice is to build partnerships with local farms, producers, and distributors. This is especially important when building relationships with small operators. While certifications like organic or biodynamic can provide assurance of certain practices, many small-scale farms do not have the resources to obtain them. In these cases, building trust through direct relationships and developing your own criteria for evaluating farms based on their values and priorities becomes even more important.
To start, we highly recommend that you visit farms and production facilities to see the operations firsthand, while asking detailed questions about their methods, harvesting techniques, and labor practices. Direct relationships with local suppliers, producers, and distributors help restaurant operators understand their farming and production practices, see their sourcing methods, and experience the standards they set for their business.
While local sourcing often translates to better environmental impact due to reduced transportation emissions, the reality is that some regions may not produce certain ingredients ethically. Look for a balanced approach that prioritizes local options when feasible but doesn’t compromise ethical principles.
Laying the Groundwork for Transparency

As this first part of our series has shown, establishing traceability and accountability through careful supplier selection is the bedrock of establishing a transparent supply chain. In Part Two, we’ll focus on building a transparency roadmap and effectively communicating these efforts to the public.