Sustainable Food and Drink
How to eat and drink sustainably? Trying to eat and drink in an environmentally friendly manner is somewhat of a minefield. How do you balance out competing issues, such as number of air miles, plastic packaging, whether the food is organic? That is before you take into any ethical considerations of eating meat and dairy. There is no silver bullet, as we can't all live directly off the land, but we can improve our choices. Farm shops can be great, but they are expensive, and impractical and most of us don't live in the countryside. As an alternative, there are a growing number of companies, that now deliver both fresh produce and ethical household and cupboard goods, to ones door.
If these are too expensive, a great option is to eat food that would otherwise go to waste. In the UK it is estimated that total annual food waste in the UK is approximately 10 millions tonnes, which represents a quarter of all food purchased. It is a no brainer that the less food that is wasted, irrespective of its provenance, the better for the environment. With that in mind if you want to address this, gone are the days of dumpster diving, with the explosion in apps and schemes to try and address this issue, some examples of which are set out at the bottom of the page.
Ethical Fresh Food Delivery Companies (Convenient but costly):
Company | Regional Coverage | Fresh Fruit and Vegetables | Dairy | Meat | Bakery | Other Produce | Environmental Credentials | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abel and Cole | Most of England and some parts of Wales | Fruit and vegetable boxes starting at £14.50 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also sells general store cupboard goods | Organic | www.abelandcole.co.uk |
Milk and More | England (Subject to postcode checker) | Fruit and vegetable boxes from £16.50 | Yes | No | Yes | Also sells regular branded store cupboard products and household goods. | Sells both organic and inorganic produce | www.milkandmore.co.uk |
Oddbox | Midlands, London and the South East | Fruit and vegetable boxes starting from £11.49 | No | No | No | Has a ‘Market’ for loose refillable ingredients, such as pasta and oats etc | Set up to avoid fresh food going to waste. All products have been chosen for being 'good' in one way or another; from brands with B Corp status to plastic-free options, to organic items | www.oddbox.co.uk |
Riverford | Most of England and South Wales | Fruit and vegetable boxes starting at £17.95 | Yes | Yes | Yes | A small selection of store cupboard goods. | Ethical Emphasis: Organic, reduces packaging. Produces an annual sustainability report, considering factors such as biodiversity, food miles, etc | www.riverford.co.uk |
Ethical Delivery Companies for Everyday Household Goods:
Company | Regional Coverage | Produce Sold | Environmental Credentials | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Biona Organic | UK | Sells a range of general organic brand foodstuffs such as pasta, beans and lentils, conditments and seasoning. | Promotes biodiversity, 100% Natural, No artificial chemicals, Lower emissions, Reducing singe use plastic with our plastic-free products | https://biona.co.uk |
Buy Whole Foods | UK Mainland | Sells various dried 'Buy Whole Foods' carbohydrates and fruits etc plus various other dried produce from other brands | Recyclable Packaging & Ocean - bound Plastic Recovery | www.buywholefoodsonline.co.uk |
Ethical Superstore | UK Mainland | Sells a large selection of general household items, general foodstuffs, clothing, gardening stuff, cosmetics, and baby stuff. | Everything sold adheres to ethical principles in one or more of the following areas: Fair Trade, Organic, Eco Friendly, Education, Health and Wellness, Locally Produced, and Charity. | www.ethicalsuperstore.com |
How to Reduce Food Waste (Cheap but Inconvenient)
Besides from food banks for those really in need, there are various ways of obtaining cheap food which woud otherwise go to waste. Two of the best food Apps are:
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Too Good To Go - An App for purchasing heavily discounted surplus food from shops, restaurants and cafes which would other wise go to waste.
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Olio - An App for donating and obtaining free food which would otherwise go to waste.
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Flashfood
For those who want to go the extra mile:
If you want to take more active steps to help with food waste, you can volunteer with Olio, or if you want to get your hands dirty you can participate in gleaning, which is the name given to harvesting surplus crops directly from farms to prevent them going to waste. You can find more information about gleaning where you live on the Gleaning Network's website here.