One of many largest contributors to the declining well being of the planet is how the meals we eat is grown, processed, transported and consumed. With a 3rd of all human-caused greenhouse gasoline emissions being a results of meals, every step of the meals lifecycle contributes to local weather change not directly. With this in thoughts, it’s our accountability to start out making the swap to a extra sustainable way of life relating to how we store and devour meals.
Whether or not you’re trying to construct extra small, sustainable habits into your every day routine or utterly overhaul the way you select to devour, at Planet Natural, we’re right here that will help you make extra acutely aware decisions in your swap to procuring and consuming extra sustainably.
How do you store sustainably for meals?
Research have proven that the biggest chunk of food-related greenhouse gasoline emissions comes from agriculture and land use, making it clear that we can not assist the planet with out trying to remodel our meals system. By making small adjustments to our eating regimen and the way we store for meals, we may help enhance the well being of not solely the planet however our our bodies too.
Whether or not you select to make small swaps to your on a regular basis eating regimen by switching to plant-based milk alternate options, collaborating in #MeatlessMondays, or shopping for extra natural produce – there are various methods you possibly can contribute to creating optimistic adjustments to procuring sustainably which now we have detailed beneath.
Scale back plastic waste
In contrast to different supplies, plastic doesn’t biodegrade and might take as much as 1,000 years to interrupt down. It is among the key contributors to environmental points, with 46% of plastic waste sitting in landfills. Most meals you discover in conventional grocery shops is packaged in plastic and transported in plastic luggage that are then discarded and left to construct up in landfills. A number of the best methods to cut back plastic waste when procuring is to:
- Use your individual reusable luggage
- Purchase recent produce that’s free and never wrapped in plastic
- Select meals objects that come in additional sustainable packaging
- Recycle meals packaging the place doable.
Store domestically and seasonally
Shopping for meals that’s not solely in season but in addition produced domestically is one other easy method to devour extra sustainably. Seasonal consumption not solely helps assist native farmers’ companies however these meals are additionally extra nutrient-dense and should even style higher. Buying seasonally additionally helps to encourage extra sustainable agricultural practices because the atmosphere is of course in the proper situations to develop sure meals organically.
Along with native farm retailers, when you have any zero-waste or natural shops in your space, we might encourage you to buy there for as a lot of your meals as doable earlier than conventional grocery shops. We’ve a number of retailers throughout London, go to Our Shops web page to seek out your nearest Planet Natural retailer.
Learn meals labels
One other method to store extra sustainably is to concentrate to meals labels. Numerous meals that’s marketed as ‘eco-friendly’ can typically nonetheless be produced utilizing practices which might be dangerous to the atmosphere, as this time period doesn’t have an ordinary definition and might be simply utilized by corporations to mislead shoppers. Subsequently it is necessary that you simply perceive what to look out for within the following signifiers that make sure the meals you’re consuming is sustainable:
When procuring extra sustainably, look out for a number of of those labels that signify the meals you’re shopping for works in direction of bettering the atmosphere.
Check out extra plant-based meals
One of the efficient methods to steer a extra sustainable way of life relating to meals consumption is to make the swap to a extra plant-based eating regimen. This doesn’t essentially imply that everybody ought to flip Vegan, nevertheless, making small adjustments to your eating regimen by together with extra plant-based meals can work in direction of making optimistic adjustments for the planet. Research have proven that plant-based diets can minimize greenhouse gasoline emissions by virtually half as they use 30% much less power for manufacturing, and have a 41.5% decrease carbon footprint in comparison with meat-based diets.
By taking small steps to minimise meat consumption and improve the variety of crops in your eating regimen, you are utilizing your buy energy to sign to the meals trade that buyers need extra sustainable meals choices. Keep in mind that plant-based doesn’t need to imply consuming solely vegatables and fruits, there are various meat and dairy alternate options and plant-based variations of your favorite meals that you could make the swap to. Flick thru our vegan store to seek out an array of plant-based alternate options to your on a regular basis meals staples.
How can I eat extra sustainably?
Research have proven that UK households and companies throw away round 9.5 million tonnes of meals waste in a single yr, with most of this meals waste ending up in overcrowded landfills. This build-up of meals waste then releases methane gasoline because it degrades, which then contributes to world warming. Subsequently by making a acutely aware effort to cut back your meals waste, you possibly can assist scale back this environmental impression. A number of the best methods to cut back meals waste are:
Solely store for what you want
Whether or not you make every day journeys to your native grocery retailer or pre-plan meals upfront, ensure you know what to purchase and when to make sure every little thing you purchase will get used and never wasted. Create a weekly meal plan or write a listing earlier than procuring that will help you keep on observe.
Compost leftover meals
If you end up throwing away meals scraps after making ready meals, we recommend including these scraps to a compost bin or heap as a substitute. Whether or not you purchase a composting bin on your backyard or buy a useful tabletop composter, composting leftovers can will let you repurpose meals in a extra sustainable manner that may then be used to create nutrient-rich soil for crops or vegetable gardens. Head on over to our information on learn how to compost to seek out out extra data round this sustainability follow.
Freeze meals in bulk
In the event you select to organize your meals upfront, batch-cooking giant portions of meals after which freezing them into smaller meals is an effective way to get probably the most out of your meals and scale back the potential for leftover waste. In the event you do typically end up with a lot of meals leftover from meals, freezing what’s left is just not solely nice for decreasing waste but in addition provides you a handy meal possibility at a later date.
Develop your individual produce
In the end, one of many best methods to eat extra sustainably is to develop your individual meals. Whether or not you create small vegetable patches in your backyard at residence or have entry to an allotment, rising your individual fruit and greens permits you to management the quantity of meals you want, saves you cash and likewise reduces the impression conventional agricultural practices have on the atmosphere.
Store sustainably with the assistance of Planet Natural
House to quite a lot of manufacturers with a ardour for sustainability, Planet Natural is right here that will help you in your journey to main a extra sustainable life. Store our full sustainable residing vary to find plastic-free meals, sustainable family merchandise and extra, to start out constructing sustainable habits into your on a regular basis routines.
