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 gasoline emissions being a results of meals, every step of the meals lifecycle contributes to local weather change ultimately. With this in thoughts, it’s our accountability to start out making the swap to a extra sustainable way of life relating to how we store and eat meals.

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

How do you store sustainably for meals?

Research have proven that the biggest chunk of food-related greenhouse gasoline emissions comes from agriculture and land use, making it clear that we can’t assist the planet with out making an attempt to remodel our meals system. By making small modifications to our weight loss plan and the way we store for meals, we might 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 weight loss plan by switching to plant-based milk options, collaborating in #MeatlessMondays, or shopping for extra natural produce – there are a lot of methods you’ll be able to contribute to creating constructive modifications to procuring sustainably which we’ve detailed under.

Cut back plastic waste 

In contrast to 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 luggage 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 luggage
• Purchase contemporary produce that’s unfastened and never wrapped in plastic
• Select meals objects that come in additional sustainable packaging
• Recycle meals packaging the place attainable.

Store regionally and seasonally 

Shopping for meals that isn’t solely in season but in addition produced regionally is one other easy solution to eat 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 surroundings is of course in the appropriate situations to develop sure meals organically. 

Along with native farm outlets, when you’ve got any zero-waste or natural shops in your space, we might encourage you to buy there for as a lot of your meals as attainable earlier than conventional grocery shops. We now have a number of outlets throughout London, go to Our Shops web page to seek out your nearest Planet Natural retailer.   

Learn meals labels

One other solution to store extra sustainably is to concentrate to meals labels. Loads of meals that’s marketed as ‘eco-friendly’ can usually nonetheless be produced utilizing practices which are dangerous to the surroundings, as this time period doesn’t have an ordinary definition and may be simply utilized by firms to mislead shoppers. Due to this fact it is crucial 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 surroundings.

Check out extra plant-based meals

One of the efficient methods to guide a extra sustainable way of life relating to meals consumption is to make the swap to a extra plant-based weight loss plan. This doesn’t essentially imply that everybody ought to flip Vegan, nonetheless, making small modifications to your weight loss plan by together with extra plant-based meals can work in direction of making constructive modifications for the planet. Research have proven that plant-based diets can minimize greenhouse gasoline emissions by nearly half as they use 30% much less power 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 crops in your weight loss plan, 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 must imply consuming solely vegetables and fruit, there are a lot of meat and dairy options and plant-based variations of your favorite meals that you could make the swap to. Flick through our vegan store to seek 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 12 months, with most of this meals waste ending up in overcrowded landfills. This build-up of meals waste then releases methane gasoline because it degrades, which then contributes to international warming. Due to this fact by making a aware effort to cut back your meals waste, you’ll be able to assist cut 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 each day journeys to your native grocery retailer or pre-plan meals prematurely, be sure you know what to purchase and when to make sure the whole lot 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 monitor.

Compost leftover meals 

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

Freeze meals in bulk 

When you select to organize your meals prematurely, batch-cooking massive portions of meals after which freezing them into smaller meals is a good way to get essentially the most out of your meals and cut back the potential for leftover waste. When you do usually end up with plenty of meals leftover from meals, freezing what’s left shouldn’t be solely nice for lowering waste but in addition offers you a handy meal choice at a later date. 

Develop your individual produce

In the end, 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 in addition reduces the influence conventional agricultural practices have on the surroundings.

Store sustainably with the assistance of Planet Natural

House to quite a lot 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 residing vary to find plastic-free meals, sustainable family merchandise and extra, to start out constructing sustainable habits into your on a regular basis routines.