Methods to store and eat extra sustainably

One of many largest contributors to the declining well being of the planet is how the meals we eat is grown, processed, transported and consumed. With a 3rd of all human-caused greenhouse fuel emissions being a results of meals, every step of the meals lifecycle contributes to local weather change not directly. With this in thoughts, it’s our accountability to start out making the swap to a extra sustainable life-style in relation to how we store and devour meals.

Whether or not you’re trying to construct extra small, sustainable habits into your day by day routine or fully overhaul the way you select to devour, at Planet Natural, we’re right here that can assist you make extra aware decisions in your swap to procuring and consuming extra sustainably.

How do you store sustainably for meals?

Research have proven that the most important chunk of food-related greenhouse fuel emissions comes from agriculture and land use, making it clear that we can not assist the planet with out making an attempt to rework our meals system. By making small adjustments to our eating regimen and the way we store for meals, we may help enhance the well being of not solely the planet however our our bodies too. 

Whether or not you select to make small swaps to your on a regular basis eating regimen by switching to plant-based milk options, participating in #MeatlessMondays, or shopping for extra natural produce – there are lots of methods you possibly can contribute to creating constructive adjustments to procuring sustainably which we have now detailed beneath.

Cut back plastic waste 

Not like different supplies, plastic doesn’t biodegrade and may take as much as 1,000 years to interrupt down.  It is without doubt one of the key contributors to environmental points, with 46% of plastic waste sitting in landfills. Most meals you discover in conventional grocery shops is packaged in plastic and transported in plastic baggage that are then discarded and left to construct up in landfills. A number of the best methods to cut back plastic waste when procuring is to:

• Use your individual reusable baggage
• Purchase contemporary produce that’s free and never wrapped in plastic
• Select meals gadgets that come in additional sustainable packaging
• Recycle meals packaging the place attainable.

Store domestically and seasonally 

Shopping for meals that’s not solely in season but in addition produced domestically is one other easy strategy to devour extra sustainably. Seasonal consumption not solely helps assist native farmers’ companies however these meals are additionally extra nutrient-dense and should even style higher. Purchasing seasonally additionally helps to encourage extra sustainable agricultural practices because the atmosphere is of course in the fitting situations to develop sure meals organically. 

Along with native farm retailers, in case you have any zero-waste or natural shops in your space, we’d encourage you to buy there for as a lot of your meals as attainable earlier than conventional grocery shops. Now we have a number of retailers throughout London, go to Our Shops web page to search out your nearest Planet Natural retailer.   

Learn meals labels

One other strategy to store extra sustainably is to concentrate to meals labels. A number of meals that’s marketed as ‘eco-friendly’ can typically nonetheless be produced utilizing practices which are dangerous to the atmosphere, as this time period doesn’t have a normal definition and could be simply utilized by corporations to mislead customers. Subsequently it’s important that you simply perceive what to look out for within the following signifiers that make sure the meals you’re consuming is sustainable:

When procuring extra sustainably, look out for a number of of those labels that signify the meals you’re shopping for works in direction of bettering the atmosphere.

Check out extra plant-based meals

Some of the efficient methods to steer a extra sustainable life-style in relation to meals consumption is to make the swap to a extra plant-based eating regimen. This doesn’t essentially imply that everybody ought to flip Vegan, nevertheless, making small adjustments to your eating regimen by together with extra plant-based meals can work in direction of making constructive adjustments for the planet. Research have proven that plant-based diets can lower greenhouse fuel emissions by nearly half as they use 30% much less vitality for manufacturing, and have a 41.5% decrease carbon footprint in comparison with meat-based diets.

By taking small steps to minimise meat consumption and improve the variety of vegetation in your eating regimen, you are utilizing your buy energy to sign to the meals trade that customers need extra sustainable meals choices. Keep in mind that plant-based doesn’t need to imply consuming solely fruit and veggies, there are lots of meat and dairy options and plant-based variations of your favorite meals which you could make the swap to. Flick thru our vegan store to search out an array of plant-based options to your on a regular basis meals staples.

How can I eat extra sustainably?

Research have proven that UK households and companies throw away round 9.5 million tonnes of meals waste in a single yr, with most of this meals waste ending up in overcrowded landfills. This build-up of meals waste then releases methane fuel because it degrades, which then contributes to world warming. Subsequently by making a aware effort to cut back your meals waste, you possibly can assist scale back this environmental influence. A number of the best methods to cut back meals waste are:

Solely store for what you want 

Whether or not you make day by day journeys to your native grocery retailer or pre-plan meals prematurely, be sure to know what to purchase and when to make sure every little thing you purchase will get used and never wasted. Create a weekly meal plan or write a listing earlier than procuring that can assist you keep on observe.

Compost leftover meals 

If you end up throwing away meals scraps after getting ready meals, we propose including these scraps to a compost bin or heap as a substitute. Whether or not you purchase a composting bin to your backyard or buy a useful tabletop composter, composting leftovers can can help you repurpose meals in a extra sustainable method that may then be used to create nutrient-rich soil for vegetation or vegetable gardens. Head on over to our information on easy methods to compost to search out out extra info round this sustainability follow.

Freeze meals in bulk 

In case you select to arrange your meals prematurely, batch-cooking massive portions of meals after which freezing them into smaller meals is an effective way to get probably the most out of your meals and scale back the potential for leftover waste. In case you do typically end up with numerous meals leftover from meals, freezing what’s left is just not solely nice for lowering waste but in addition provides you a handy meal possibility at a later date. 

Develop your individual produce

Finally, one of many best methods to eat extra sustainably is to develop your individual meals. Whether or not you create small vegetable patches in your backyard at residence or have entry to an allotment, rising your individual fruit and greens lets you management the quantity of meals you want, saves you cash and likewise reduces the influence conventional agricultural practices have on the atmosphere.

Store sustainably with the assistance of Planet Natural

Residence to a wide range of manufacturers with a ardour for sustainability, Planet Natural is right here that can assist you in your journey to main a extra sustainable life. Store our full sustainable dwelling vary to find plastic-free meals, sustainable family merchandise and extra, to start out constructing sustainable habits into your on a regular basis routines.