Sustainable food – top tips

We all need food and consume it every day, so our choices about what we eat can make a significant impact on the sustainability of our lifestyle.

Our top tips for sustainable food are:

• Keep yourself healthy. Eat the right amount and have a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables.
• Eat all of the food you buy. Be creative with your leftovers and preserve gluts. Check out Love Food Hate Waste for lots of ideas about how to reduce the amount of food you waste.
• Eat locally produced food that’s in season. This ticks three sustainable food boxes – it will reduce carbon emissions and road congestion, boost the local economy and support local farmers. Best of all, grow some of your own food.
• Support locally owned food shops. Where they have a good range of responsibly and locally-produced food, this will keep money in the local economy and protect the environment.
• Buy fairtrade. This guarantees that farmers in developing countries are paid a fair price, provides funds for community development and supports farmers to move towards organic production. Everyone wins!
• Eat organic. Chemicals used in farming can cause imbalance in our natural systems and pollute the ground, air and water. They can also harm wildlife. Organic farming nurtures the soil and respects natural systems. Organic food from your locality is truly sustainable food.
• Reduce packaging. Where packaging is necessary, choose materials that can be reused or recycled.
• Eat less meat. Meat and dairy production generally use a lot of water, energy and land per calorie. Vegetables and grains are more sustainable foods.
• Eat sustainable fish. Many of our fish populations are endangered, yet we can still buy this unsustainable food. Choose fish from sustainable fisheries, caught using responsible methods.
• Consider animal welfare. Don’t be fooled by pictures of chocolate-box farms on packaging. Look for free range eggs and chickens, outdoor-reared pigs and English rose veal.