Convenience without guilt? Good taste on the go? There is a new crop of fast food emerging and here are five things that set establishments apart:

1. Keep it LOCAL – source ingredients close to home
2. Make it GOOD – let the real flavour sing,
3. Make it HEALTHY – it is all about fresh, quality ingredients not necessarily about low fat.
4. Take care of EMPLOYEES – hire staff that are passionate and provide them with good benefits
5. Take care of the ENVIRONMENT – green fast food – from composting and recycling, to converting used trans-fat-free cooking oil to biodiesel to supporting local farmers and ranchers who adhere to sustainable production.

………………………………
OTHER BITES:
READ Mary Desmond Pinkowish’s article in Ode Magazine for a detailed look at each of the five points above.

“Well Yes, menus in these new establishments cater to people who want healthier, tastier food – and want it fast – but who may not be keen on tofu burgers. Others want food that’s more authentic than a square hamburger. But other changes in the business, like food delivered in hybrid vehicles and composted waste, are in response to climate change and the imperative to do something about it.”

CHECK OUT Green Table, a Vancouver based organization that Robert has blogged about before and is helping to make Vancouver dining more sustainable

An interesting US example (with a great website) is Chipotle’s.

“Steve Ells, founder and chief executive of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), is not a man on a mission. He’s actually on two of them: one, to run the hottest fast-food chain in the nation (US) ; two, to offer what he terms “food with integrity” to the mass market.” READ the full Business Week article.

My VANCOUVER healthy fast food choices:

• Vera’s Burger Shack
• East is East (not always as fast as you would like)
• Modern Burger (if they would ever open again)