Did you know that up to food production is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions? Unlike energy ratings on our household appliances, we are often oblivious to the amount of resources required to produce the food we eat. You can check how sustainable your diet really is with a carbon footprint calculator.

If you want to help reduce your overall carbon impact, then check out these top 7 ways to reduce your food’s environmental footprint.

What is the environmental footprint of food?

The total environmental footprint of farming encompasses everything from fertilisers used, distance to market, packaging of foods, feedstock of livestock, tilling, dirt compaction, and the utilised farming methods. It can drastically depend on region of the world, time of the year, and a thousand other continually changing factors which are out of your hands. So, here are some things you can control to minimise the carbon footprint of your diet.

Choose Organic Food

Organic food typically has smaller amounts of fertilisers, and farmers put a greater emphasis on producing natural, healthy, foods. Due to the prioritisation of quality over quantity, it can also be one of the ways to reduce carbon emissions globally. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations considers organic agriculture as a potential method to reduce up to 66% of CO2 emissions.

So chose organic fruits and vegetables when you’re out shopping next.

Buy Seasonally

Buying what is available seasonally is not only better for the environment, but it also allows you to boost your health. While people will prioritise for local food due to the associated low food miles, eating out of season has its own set of drawbacks. There is a lot of power required to store food that is out of season, or heated houses required to grow foods in non-native climates, and the added fertilisers to boost soils fertility in cooler climates.

Why not check out this season app to find what foods are in season in your area? Maximise your nutrition and minimise your impact by buying seasonal produce from your farmers!

Chose Plant Based Options

The environmental impacts of animal products range from the vast areas that require to be deforested to create place for rearing and growing feed, methane emissions, antibiotics run off, and inefficiency of resource use. Livestock production is responsible for up to 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. If you are a meat lover, then the carbon footprint of your diet is a whopping 3.3 tons vs a vegetarians at 1.5 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

So once in the while, pick that veggie dish or even try a meat based substitute which can decrease food related carbon emissions by 19%.

Buy Local Food

Simply by purchasing food grown in your local region, you can significantly cut down the carbon emissions due to the distance it travels. These reduced food miles can contribute to slashing your foods carbon footprint by as much as 7% by eating local food.

So, buy local to minimise the food miles your food needs to travel to your plate. Buying local also supports local farmers, which can continue producing high quality foods for you!

Pick the ugly one in the bunch

Did you know that one third of the food grown is never even reaches supermarkets? Due to the high standards of food cosmetics, millions of tonnes of food never leave the farms. For example, The National Farmer’s Union reported that 20% of gala apples were wasted since they were not at least 50% red in colour. Bananas are another food product often discarded due to bruising, along with any wonky cucumbers or other not perfectly shaped fruit and vegetables.

So why not try and seek out these imperfect vegetables and realise that the way they look does not dictate how they taste? In shops, opt for the lonely bananas or tomatoes, as the ones not attached to a bunch are much more likely to be thrown out.

Minimise Food Waste

If food waste was considered a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions following United States and China. Currently around 1.3 billion tonnes of food are lost or wasted, whether for cosmetic reasons, or sell by dates in supermarkets. If even one quarter of the food that is wasted could be recovered, that could feed 870 million people.

How can you help? Trust your nose and check on the food in your fridge rather than throwing it out due to use by dates. Also consider meal planning to better organize your food purchases and get some great containers for freezing excess food!

Avoid Processed Food

Processed food has a much higher environmental footprint than raw fruits and vegetables. This is due to the power required in processing it and the associated packaging. Reduce your carbon footprint by choosing whole foods from your local area and snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables. Cooking foods is also another contributor to carbon emissions, so opt for a fresh salad occasionally. The less processed your food, the less energy needed to create it.

Summary

By using these 7 tips, you can cut down your diet’s carbon footprint by as much as 60%, and your total carbon footprint by 20%.

So simply, eat more vegetables that are in season, buy from local organic farmers, choose the wonky vegetable, opt for fresh fruits and vegetables over processed foods, and slash your waste by eating all you buy!