Food choices and sustainability

As natural perfume creators, you might wonder what an article on planet friendly food is doing here! Well, being environmentally conscious, we are interested in everything we can do to reduce climate change and food is a big part of that.

Also, Catrin, the Jones bit of Jones and Modha, co-owns a food business (Papadeli) and has always been interested in food and nutritions alongside nature and protecting our planet. It all fits together doesn’t it? And food security and systems are a key part of the jigsaw when it comes to sustainability.

As a food lover and a celebrator of local food and artisan producers, she is always looking for ways to become more planet friendly in her eating habits (as well as general living habits).

So this World Wildlife article on how to be more planet friendly when it comes to eating caught her attention and we thought it would be useful to share. There’s so much information out there on this topic and we are often made to feel guilty about what we eat (in more ways than just environmentally), it’s worth considering these tips and seeing how some might fit in with your routine.

When we consider that “about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food”, just being a little more conscious around what we consume could make a big difference.

So what are the tips according to the World Wildlife Foundation?

Eat more plants

Perhaps no surprise to many as there’s been so much in the press and social media about this. We won’t go into all the reasons why, but by being more conscious about the meat and animal products we consume, we can contribute towards a reduction in green house gases (to name but one benefit).

Eat more variety

Many of us have a tendency to eat the same small group of foods and the impact of the environment is not great as it leads to over farming of certain crops as well as over reliance on certain crops which could lead to food security problems. Try new vegetables, pulses etc to spread the load.

Make responsible seafood and fish choices

Over fishing has led to many many problems - from a substantial reduction in certain species, the decimation of some others which are just thrown back into the sea as a result of industrial scale trawling. Even fish farms are not ideal in many cases as they are fed on wild fish and shellfish (some estimates say farmed fish can eat 1.5 times their own body weight in wild fish and shellfish - which kind of defeats the object). This is a great article on ideas on choosing more environmentally responsible fish.

Waste less

“if food waste were a country it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the US”. Need we say more? Buying less, freezing any leftovers, resisting BOGOF offers if you don’t need them. There’s so much we can do to reduce waste and the financial benefits are clear as well as the environmental.

Grow your own food

Not one for everyone, but if at all possible, if you have the space and time, growing your own food is clearly a good way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Stop buying products containing Palm Oil

Unless it is RSPO certified. Palm oil has brought about large scale deforestation and endangering wildlife. Seek out products that use sustainable alternatives (not all are) or play oil with RSPO certification.

Reject plastic

Take your own bag, buy loose where you can, ask supermarkets to stop using plastic around fruit and veg etc. If you visit a deli, take your own pot, take your own hot drink cup, cutlery to work for a packed lunch or picnic. So many things we can do here!

Eat seasonal food

Not always easy in the Uk, especially in Winter, but eating local, seasonal produce is a no brainer in terms of reducing your carbon footprint and eating more environmentally friendly. The WWF has this handy seasonal produce calendar which you might find useful.

So many people lead busy lives and convenience is important in so many ways, but changing a few habits and being more conscious around our food choices is the least we can do. You can read the whole article here.

If you have any great ideas, get in touch!