Food
Changing what we eat is better for human and planetary health
Why Does What I Eat Matter To The Environment?
Food is a complex environmental, social and health issue, but our diet is one of the most important things we can change to improve our health and reduce our environmental impact.
The environmental impact of a food item can change depending on whether it is "in-season", "out-of-season", grown locally or abroad, held in storage (and the type of storage), transported by land sea or air, whether pesticides were used and many other factors.
Water usage, agricultural machinery and chemical usage all play a role in the environmental impact of what we eat, but undoubtedly the biggest impact by far is from animal agriculture, particularly beef and dairy. This is primarily because of the deforestation and clearing of huge areas of nature to grow crops to feed livestock rather than feed humans. Across the world, an area the size of Wales is cleared of forest every year to meet our global food demands!
Scientists across the world have come together to design a diet that meets all our nutritional needs, and would keep the planet safe, known as the "Planetary Health Diet". If we adopted a broadly plant-based diet, we could free up an area the size of the US, China, the European Union and Australia combined and comfortably feed the world's population, whilst allowing nature to recover to fight against climate change.
Where Do I Start With Reducing The Impact Of My Food?
Although there are many factors that change the environmental impact of food, the two most-significant changes you can take are:
1) Waste less food. Approximately 25% of food purchased in the UK is wasted. Not only is this “throwing money in the bin”, it means even more food has to be produced to meet demand. To reduce food waste, try coming up with a meal plan every week and only buying what you need. Try “batch cooking”, where you cook a large meal and split it into portions to freeze for later, which can reduce your fresh food waste.
2) Eat less meat and dairy, and adopt a plant-based diet. The less meat and dairy you eat, the better for the environment, and collectively, we need to at least halve the amount of meat and dairy we consume in the UK. This would come with lots of health benefits. Meat is not necessary in human diets and excessive consumption can lead to health issues such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
If possible, move towards only having “meat as a treat” once or twice a week or just on special occasions, rather than every day. When you do buy meat, support your local farmers and butchers with the higher animal welfare standards and support them, rather than purchasing intensively farmed meat-products.
Find out more about the health benefits of adopting a plant based diet below, with Plant-Based Health Professionals UK (PBHP UK)
Can Reducing Our Meat Intake Really Make a Difference?
Plant-Based Health Professionals UK (PBHP)
PBHP UK are an organisation specialising in educating people in the transition to eating more plants and reducing our meat and dairy consumption. They have an abundance of resources to cover almost every nutritional need and health condition
What About Fish?
90% of the world's fish stocks are overexploited by unsustainable fishing. With climate change, water pollution and rising sea temperatures, our underwater ecosystems are under serious threat. However, many coastal communities depend on fish as their primary source of food and income.
In the UK, 97% of households eat fish but 80% of the fish eaten comes from only 5 species, and often unsustainably caught.
Eating seafood can be sustainable, but as consumers it is important to know what to look out for when choosing sustainable options.
The Marine Conservation Society is dedicating to improving the health of our oceans around the UK and globally, and has developed a Good Fish Guide that uses up to date research and data to help you choose the most sustainable option when choosing seafood.
The Importance of Farmers in a Changing Climate
Farming in the UK is not just a job, it is a way of life upon which whole communities are built.
Farmers are possibly the profession most affected by climate change. Their livelihoods depend on the regularity of seasons and a balance between the amount of rainfall and sunlight they experience. Because of climate change, the certainty that farmers have experienced for hundreds of years is disappearing and widespread flooding and drought events are catastrophic for both crops and livestock.
Reducing the amount of meat we eat, will reduce the amount of livestock and land needed for food production, but farmers will always be needed to produce food and be stewards of the land to help nature reclaim back land that has been lost to agriculture. Agricultural methods and practice need to continue to change to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard future food supplies.
With appropriate support from the government and their unions, farmers can be at the heart of restoring nature across the UK and lead the fightback against climate change and biodiversity loss.
FarmWell is an online platform launched by the Farming Community Network to support British farmers through challenging times. They have resources and contacts to support you and your business. Click below to find out more