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Food and Drink
The Basics
The basics here would be to ensure you only buy as much as you will eat, be aware of the impact of what you are eating, stay conscious of the packaging it comes in and dispose of it correctly. And, as always, start small.
Waste
Food waste is somewhat unavoidable, though there are steps to reduce the waste that you accumulate.
Being mindful of the packaging your food comes in can be a great first step to reducing your waste. Fruit and veg can often be found without packaging, you can bring reusable produce bags to store them whilst you shop. Prioritize packaging that can be recycled and make sure to rinse and separate that packaging correctly based on your local recycling systems. Avoid multipacks and instead opt to portion for yourself where possible.
Food waste should be separated from landfill, which many don’t realise as food decomposes fast, right? Unfortunately, the environment needed for food to decompose fast is not at a landfill. Food gets trapped and there isn’t enough airflow; when the food eventually does decompose it releases methane. If you don’t have local infrastructure for food waste, you can use veg scraps to make a stock, plan meals based on what you already have in that is going off, and meal plan to prevent overbuying.
It’s a great idea to look into the best way to keep food fresh and use it before it is no longer good. It will usually say on the packaging, but also remember that sell/use/best-buy dates also aren’t set in stone, there’s no science to pinpoint specific dates so use your best judgement based on smell, sight and taste.
Diet
There are a multitude of ways that you can change your diet to decrease the impact your eating habits have on the environment. The biggest effect is likely to switch to a plant based diet. Don’t skip this section just because you don’t want to switch to vegan, there’s a lot of ways you can implement plant based diets without completely cutting out animal products. Some plants are even bad for the environment depending on where you are.
Our food production systems account for 37% of global greenhouse-gas emissions (2019 paper). Meat and dairy swallow 77% of agricultural land and account for 60% of agriculture’s carbon emissions. Because of this and many other concerns to do with deforestation, chemicals and animal care, it is said that going vegan can reduce your carbon “foodprint” by up to 73%. On average, the carbon footprint of someone who is vegan will be less than half than that of someone who eats a lot of meat.
Though, in going plant-based, be sure to avoid certain “superfoods” that have to be imported to your area, these can be just as bad as meat due to the journey over and the devastating effect the influx of popularity has had on the regions they’re from. Almond milk and avocados are just two that are a good example of this.
The best thing you can do with your diet to be more sustainable is eat local produce that is in season whilst reducing your intake of animal products. Perhaps take on a flexitarian diet, or have one day of the week where you eat plant based. Small changes can make a big difference.
Eating Out
Unfortunately, restaurants are a large contributor to food waste. When considering eating out, consider similar things that you would when choosing your own food: locality and season. Favour restaurants that are small businesses, ones that are transparent about their food waste, and whether any offer up what’s left in the day with services such as Too Good To Go.
It could also be a good idea to get into the habit of asking for your leftovers to take them home. Not only will this save the food from landfill, but you also get to enjoy it later.
Take-Out
Fast food, along with having the same issues as restaurants, also relies heavily on industrial-scale agriculture to cut costs. The packaging is also terrible for the environment, as anything that would be recyclable (which isn’t often much) is covered in grease and can’t be cleaned.
If you are in need of a treat (you are allowed, moderation is key), try prioritising restaurants that aren’t fast food, small, local businesses, focus on meat free options, and say no to any single use plastics like cutlery and bags.