6 Tips for Cutting Your Carbon Footprint While Food Shopping
We're all looking for ways to be a bit more eco-friendly and the way in which we buy our food, and also where you buy it from, can help to reduce your carbon footprint. Now, these are just a few tips and you don't have to do them all because times are tough right now.
But pick and choose which ones will work for you or are achievable and go from there. Even making the smallest changes in the way you do things could make all the difference and it's far better than not making any changes at all!
Avoid plastic packaging
This can be difficult when shopping in a mainstream supermarket, but it's not impossible. Instead, opt for loose fruit and veg and don't bother bagging them up at all, not even with paper bags if they offer that. If you must bag them, choose the reusable net bags they sell and keep bringing that with you to the supermarket. Think, you'll be washing and cooking a lot of veg and washing fruit before you eat it anyway, so it's not such a big deal putting them in the bottom of your shopping bag without some form of wrapping.
Opting to go to a farm shop, local green grocers and other food store will also be better in terms of packaging. This is because it either won't be offered to you or you're offered a paper bag that you'll need to pay for. Often, people will begrudge paying a paper bag and so won't bother - great for the planet if you ask me!
Cut down on the amount of meat you buy
Ideally, we should look to cut meat out of our diet completely and replace it with other protein-rich foods, like chickpeas. But it's not always that easy or that feasible. So instead, take some baby steps and start phasing it out of your meals. Cutting down on red meat in particular will have considerable effects on the environment, cutting carbon footprints by as much as 50 million tonnes across the UK, according to an Oxford University study.
Shop locally at farm shops, green grocers & bakeries
If air-miles is something that bothers you when food shopping, then switch from supermarket giants to local produce. Often, they'll supply local produce, like a fruit and veg, or bake bread using local flour, for example. You'll also likely find jars of local honey and locally-sourced meat if you're looking for premium quality. This way, you're keeping your carbon footprint as low as possible whilst eating quality, healthy produce.
Opt for wonky fruit & veg over perfectly-formed alternatives
Even in your giant supermarkets, you should look to choose the wonky or imperfect fruit and veg over ones that have been perfectly formed. This i because they'll likely go off and end up being chucked away by the supermarket if they don't sell. Don't let this needless waste happen. Wonky veg will taste exactly the same as perfectly-formed alternatives and you'll also find that they're a lot cheaper.
Choose organic produce
Despite common belief, organic produce actually contains more anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins when compared to non-organic produce, according to a study. Not only this, but the same study also found that their carbon footprint is far lower than non-organic foods.
According to the Soil Association, the healthier the soil is, the more carbon it stores. This means that, if all farmers started producing purely organic food, then around 1.3 million tonnes of carbon could be taken up by the soil every single year, which is better for the environment.
Look at the country of origin
When shopping anywhere, including in farm shops, green grocers, butchers and even bakeries, look or simple ask where the produce has come from. If it sites the UK as the country of origin, like a lot of potatoes are, then go for this option.
If, however, your strawberries say Spain as a country of origin, either shop elsewhere who sells British-grown strawberries or buy them when they're in-season. Even garlic bulbs, when shopping in the supermarket, can come as far afield as China. Make sure you read the labels if you're bothered by air miles and always opt for UK-grown produce where possible.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know in the comments what you've been doing to cut your carbon footprint when food shopping or whether you already implement these tips! I'll see you again very soon with a brand new blog post :)
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