Food
Food is the second largest contributor to our individual carbon footprints.
Food needs to be grown, processed, transported, distributed, stored, prepared, consumed and sometimes disposed of, and each stage adds to your food’s carbon footprint.
But you can make a difference! You can reduce your own food carbon footprint by making a few changes to how you shop, cook and eat.
Eat less meat and dairy
Beef and lamb have the most damaging effect on the environment. Cows and sheep produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and natural forests and grasslands have been cleared for agriculture. We therefore need to reduce the demand for meat. A study by Oxford University said if we all swapped one red meat meal to a plant-based dinner every week, we could cut the UK’s carbon footprint by 50 million tonnes. It could be as easy as:
- swapping a lamb curry for a veg curry
- swapping your usual chilli for a three bean chilli
- adding cashew nuts, sesame seeds and tofu to stir fries, instead of beef
Buy local
Reduce the air miles of your food where you can. Look on packaging to see where the food has come from. Where you can, buy local - you may be able to swap the supermarket for a local farm shop to buy your fruit, veg and eggs.
Grow your own
Herbs can easily grow on your windowsill and be part of your future meals. If you have your own garden or allotment space, why not gradually swap store-bought fruit and veg and grow your own, such as beetroot or potatoes?
Check labels
More and more brands are introducing carbon footprint labels on their packaging so you can see the product’s carbon footprint. This will help you decide what to buy.
