Sustainable Food Shopping

We've all seen the pictures of terrible destruction of rainforests because of the search for palm oil, or chickens in tiny pens forced to lay eggs 24/7, or read horror stories of thousands of fish trying to swim away from an algal bloom but dying in their cage. It's easy to feel like the food industry is pretty much unstoppable - so many people need to eat every day, how much power do we as individuals really have to make a positive difference? On our own, not much, it's true. But together, if we all start to make the same changes to our food shopping habits, big supermarket chains have to start to pay attention to the way their profits are moving. If Fair-trade teabags are the only ones they ever sell, it is clear that the only way to continue making a profit is to buy more!

It's not a simple issue, and there are knock-on effects. If we, for example, stop eating meat, what will happen to all the beef farmers out there? But consumer attitudes are always changing, and if we can alter them to become more people, planet and resource friendly, I reckon that will be a good thing overall.

What can we do?

1. Try to buy local produce as much as possible. If you have a local farmers market or shop buy your veg from there rather than getting it from a supermarket. It doesn't usually end up being much more expensive, and it's easier to buy the right quantities for what you need, so you don't end up with as much left over as well. If you don't have an alternative shop, try to check how far the thing you're buying has travelled, and consider the carbon footprint of having to fly it over from another country. Mangos from Zambia should be something you eat less often than braeburns from East Anglia!
2. Get your milk delivered! Here is a website I've found which can find your local milkman/dairy, so you can have milk delivered in those cute little hipster bottles, which means you never run out, you're reducing plastic waste and supporting a business that's in danger of dying out. http://www.findmeamilkman.net 
3. Try to mainly buy fresh ingredients rather than ready meals etc, because they use so much more energy in making them, as well as packaging. Also, remember that just because those plastic bags for the onions are there, doesn't mean you are actually obliged to use them! 
4. Take your own bags to the shop. We've all felt the sting of that 5p at the checkout, so if you get yourself a reusable bag and bung it into your rucksack then you never have to remember because it's always there. 
5. Try to buy less, more often. It's annoying to run out of things, but the average UK household ends up throwing away 30% of the food it buys, so it's really worth it to not over-cater when you think about the money you'll save, as well as thinking about the impact it has on the planet if we are all wasting 30% of the food it took so much energy to create. 
6. Eat less meat. There's no getting around the fact that meat (especially red meat, but really all meat) is bad for the environment. It's tragic (for me anyway) to imagine a life without bacon, but we should start to view meat as a luxury, not an everyday thing. Meat = Treat. Yum yum. Also, meat and fish are super expensive, so swapping to a more sustainable option can be counter-balanced by buying it less often. 
7. Find out where your fish is coming from. This is tricky sometimes, but if you're at the fish counter in the supermarket, or an actual fishmonger, you can ask them whether it was sustainably farmed. Otherwise, look for the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) or ASC label, the RSPCA Assured label for big fishies, or Dolphin Safe for tuna. This guide by the MSC is searchable, and has advice and information for every fish you could ever think of: https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/search. I've put some links at the bottom for more info, because there's a lot of helpful articles promoting alternatives to the old favourites etc. 
8. Go to a sustainable chippy (if you can). The MSC has a searchable map here: https://www.msc.org/uk/what-you-can-do/msc-certified-fish-and-chip-shops-uk-ireland. Sadly, there are many cities in the country with no sustainable options, so it could be worth sending a message to your fave local asking them if they could start looking at more sustainable options. 
9. Think about the workers who make your food as well as the products themselves. Buy Fairtrade products wherever possible - there are more than you think! We all know you can get bananas, tea and chocolate Fairtrade, but what about wine, juice, flowers, spices, and more? Have a look on their website here: https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Buying-Fairtrade to find out more about the options. 
10. If you're not a vegetarian, but are trying to make sure the animals you are eating were well-cared for during their life time, look for the RSPCA Assured label. More info here: https://www.rspcaassured.org.uk
11. Palm oil: it's in so many more products than I realised, from shampoo to processed bread, to chocolate: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil. Look for the RSPO label to make sure it has been sustainably sourced. Their website has some good info on why palm oil is still used, and how it can be made more sustainable: https://www.rspo.org/about 

Wow, so there's a lot we can do about sustainable food shopping. It might seem overwhelming looking at all the things we need to remember when we nip to the co-op for our dinner, but perhaps you could add a post-it to the top of your shopping list, or make a note on your phone so you can check it when your in the shop staring at the peanut butter. 

https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/six-tips-help-you-eat-more-sustainably

https://econation.co.nz/sustainable-food/

Fish

https://www.gq.com/story/guide-to-eating-sustainable-fish

https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/food/2011/02/how-to-buy-sustainable-fish.shtml

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/what-we-do/oceans/better-buys-what-fish-can-i-eat/