4 sustainable food-related alternatives
18 December 2020
Sustainable food-related alternatives. You may or may not already be aware of the impact of food on people and the environment. In an earlier post this week, we shared an article on food waste. In this article, we will provide you with 4 eco-friendlier substitutes for edible products that are generally often used or used by us personally.
We hope that we can inspire and encourage you to become more conscious of your buying behaviour, and as a result use our tips to become more sustainable together with us!
1. Plastic free
When you go to the supermarket, you are most likely to come across many products that are wrapped in unnecessary and single-use plastics. And even when it is not covered in plastic yet, people tend to grab a plastic bag to carry their fruits and vegetables before heading to the cashier.
We encourage you to become more conscious of the products that you are buying. For instance, take a look at the products that you currently have in your kitchen or pay more attention next time you are doing your groceries. It may be more difficult to change habits and substitute everything at once, but every single step forward helps!
We hope that we can inspire and encourage you to become more conscious of your buying behaviour, and as a result use our tips to become more sustainable together with us!
1. Plastic free
When you go to the supermarket, you are most likely to come across many products that are wrapped in unnecessary and single-use plastics. And even when it is not covered in plastic yet, people tend to grab a plastic bag to carry their fruits and vegetables before heading to the cashier.
We encourage you to become more conscious of the products that you are buying. For instance, take a look at the products that you currently have in your kitchen or pay more attention next time you are doing your groceries. It may be more difficult to change habits and substitute everything at once, but every single step forward helps!
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"When I was looking at the products that I have at home, I noticed that there were so many products wrapped in plastic, and sometimes not just once but twice! I have become conscious of the products that I buy now, and I am more actively looking for alternatives. An example: the apples that my family likes the most are packed in cardboard and plastic, totally unnecessary, but we were so used to buying the same product that I never realized how much waste is coming from just the apples we buy."
- Patricia Huang |
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Finding products that are not wrapped in plastic is one thing. Then we also have the problem that people tend to grab a plastic bag that is provided in some supermarkets to carry the food they buy, like fruits and vegetables. Therefore, we would like to introduce you to organic cotton bags, which can be used for nuts, fruits, vegetables and bread, if you were not already familiar with them yet. Organic cotton is a better material compared to plastic bags, which are often only used once, and other materials that are rather difficult to recycle. Besides that, crates and linen bags can also be used to transport your groceries from the store to your home.
If you find it difficult to find plastic free foods in your go-to store, perhaps you could try local stores, farmers or markets for products like fresh fruit, vegetables and bread. In 2018, the first plastic-free aisle opened in a Dutch supermarket (1). Watch the video below to learn more about that:
2. Local food
You might have heard the sentence "support the locals" before, during your travels abroad, during this pandemic, etc... This does not only apply when you are eating out in restaurants or buying your souvenirs. In your local supermarket, you are likely to come across a variety of products that are imported from other countries. This way, you are not only contributing to CO2 emissions through the shipment of your products, but you are also not supporting the local people who are trying to make a living from the food they produce and sell. Instead of buying from supermarkets, you could buy from local farmers directly, which saves costs, packaging and transportation.
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"Recently, I started looking at the ingredients and the country of origin of the products that I have at home. That is when I realised that many things were imported from other coutnries in Europe and also from other continents like Asia. Most of my fruits, for example, are originally from South-Europe. After knowing this, I have taken more time to consider the available and more sustainable alternatives, but this is not always an option."
- Patricia Huang |
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3. Plant-based
The food that you consume in your daily life does not only have an effect on your own health, but it also has a huge impact on the environment. In general, the waterfoot print for the production of meat is much higher in comparison to fruit and vegetables. A change in your weekly meal plan could already have an impact on the planet as the production of 1 kilogram beef, for instance, requires over 15.000 liters of water (2) and other resources to grow animals! Check out the Water Footprint Network if you are interested to see how much water is needed to produce your favorite meals and which more sustainable products you can consume instead.
The large amount of water that is needed for the production of meat does not automatically mean that growing plant-based products is sustainable. It is claimed that the production of several (vegan) foods, like avocado, quinoa and palm oil, may be unethical from a social and environmental perspective as it uses a vast amount of water, and it causes deforestation and underpaid workers with bad work conditions (3). Therefore it is important to know where your food is coming from and to learn about the conditions those people are facing. Read further to learn more about the product certifications.
The food that you consume in your daily life does not only have an effect on your own health, but it also has a huge impact on the environment. In general, the waterfoot print for the production of meat is much higher in comparison to fruit and vegetables. A change in your weekly meal plan could already have an impact on the planet as the production of 1 kilogram beef, for instance, requires over 15.000 liters of water (2) and other resources to grow animals! Check out the Water Footprint Network if you are interested to see how much water is needed to produce your favorite meals and which more sustainable products you can consume instead.
The large amount of water that is needed for the production of meat does not automatically mean that growing plant-based products is sustainable. It is claimed that the production of several (vegan) foods, like avocado, quinoa and palm oil, may be unethical from a social and environmental perspective as it uses a vast amount of water, and it causes deforestation and underpaid workers with bad work conditions (3). Therefore it is important to know where your food is coming from and to learn about the conditions those people are facing. Read further to learn more about the product certifications.
Besides the plant-based foods, the consumption of meat is also an ethical issue from a social perspective. Some people are used to eating animal products regularly whereas other people have decided to become vegan or vegetarian. We do not believe that we can tell you what to do or not to do. We are here to share our knowledge and experiences with you and hopefully we can inspire you to live a more sustainable life like us!
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"I am vegan for ethical, as well as environmental and health reasons. I believe that animals have as much rights as people, but it is also proven that there is enough food on earth for everyone if the world population would be vegan. Being vegan is positive for the animal well-being, personal health, and the environment. I do however look at where my products come from. I try to eat local food and if they do not have fresh local vegetables, I buy frozen local vegetables.
If everyone would be aware of their food behaviour, I think we could support each other better and the world would be a better place." - Claire Janssen |
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4. Product certifications
In the stores, there often products available with a diversity of certifications. We would like to give you an overview of a few of these certifications and explain what they stand for and why it would be better to buy these products.
- Fairtrade: Paying the farmers and workers fair prices for the products to end poverty (5).
- Organic agriculture: Ensuring natural manufacturing processes and respecting ecosystems and animals (6).
- Marine Stewardship Council: Preventing overfishing and damage on ecosystems (7).
- Rainforest Alliance: Protecting forests and land, addressing human rights and creating sustainable livelihoods (8).
- UTZ Certified: Part of Rainforest Alliance, ensuring sustainable sourcing from farm to stores (9).
Stay tuned for our articles next week to come into the Christmas spirit with us! 🎄
Sources
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/28/worlds-first-plastic-free-aisle-opens-in-netherlands-supermarket
- https://www.waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/
- https://ethicalunicorn.com/2019/03/03/vegan-doesnt-always-equal-ethical-problematic-foods-what-you-can-do/
- https://ethicalunicorn.com/2018/09/23/how-sustainable-ethical-is-eating-avocado/
- https://www.fairtrade.net/about/key-benefits-of-fairtrade
- https://www.ecocert.com/en/expertise/organic-farming
- https://www.msc.org/standards-and-certification/fisheries-standard