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Sustainability and food
Ever considered how the food you consume affects you and your environment?
We are used to having a wide range of foods from all corners of the globe throughout the year. But the fact is that most food production, distribution and consumption is in every sense of the word unsustainable.
Ripe juicy mangoes in the middle of the winter, shipped all the way from Africa. Crisp green mangetouts flown in from Guatemala. Sweet honey for your morning toast from New Zealand, on the other side of the planet. Of every 100 fruit products purchased, only five will now have been grown in the UK.
The environmental impact of these 'food miles' is enormous in terms of pollution and climate change. Even within the UK, the distance that food is transported by road increased by 50% between 1978 and 1999. Food now accounts for between a third and 40 per cent of all UK road freight.
Most foods are treated with various chemicals, to kill pests, to prolong shelf life, or even merely to give them a specific colour or shine. What is more, our food is generally boxed or wrapped in layers of plastic, contributing to our mounting waste problem as well as draining valuable energy sources.
Other problems include increased incidence and spread of diseases like foot and mouth, and major animal welfare concerns. What is more, poor countries producing food for distant markets are not necessarily seeing benefits.
What can you do?
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Try to buy locally produced, seasonal fresh produce when available. Shop at farmers' markets, or use box schemes. If you use a supermarket, put pressure on them to source from farms in the surrounding area.
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When buying food that cannot be grown in the region, such as tea, coffee, bananas, or chocolate, buy fair trade, organic products.
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Look at the labels on food in the supermarket, and buy items that have been grown or made in the UK.
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Grow your own food using organic techniques, in the back garden, on an allotment or community garden.
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Ask publicly funded canteens (schools, hospitals, local authorities, and prisons) to buy more local, seasonal, fair trade and organic food. Write to your MP, DEFRA, and the Food Standards Agency about this issue.
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Write to the above, and to supermarkets and food manufacturers, demanding a clear labelling system showing the distance food has travelled, its country of origin, and transport-related environmental impact.
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Ask your Regional Development Agency (RDA) what they are doing to support sustainable food economies in your region.
Useful contacts and local suppliers:
Local Food Links - (External)
Local Food Works project
Local Food Finder - (External)
Big Barn Ltd
Farmers' markets - (External)
National Association of Farmers Markets
(NAFM)
(External)
Organic Food, Box schemes and Community Supported Agriculture schemes
(CSA)
Organic gardening - HDRA: (External)
The Organic Organisation
Allotments - (External)
National Association of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners
Community Gardens - (External)
Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens
Permaculture - (External)
Permaculture Association
(External)
Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
Box schemes
Infinity foods – 25 North Road, Brighton
Ashurst Organics – 01273 891219
Sunny Foods - 76 Beaconsfield Villas, Brighton
Barcombe Nurseries – 01273 400011
Golchin International Food Store, 132 Western Road, Hove
Real Food Direct – 01273 621222
Jasmine Greengrocers - 133 Dyke Road, Hove
Sprouts – 01273 625961
How you will help
By considering how far your food travels, eating locally-produced, organic and seasonal food, and avoiding packaging, you can contribute towards:
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Environmental improvement:
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Reduction of food miles and thus fuel consumption. Sustainable food economies can also reduce the environmental damage due to waste, through composting and reduced packaging.
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Sustainable land use and landscapes:
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Sustainable food is often produced in a way that helps conserve the distinctive characteristics of local landscapes.
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Community interaction:
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Sustainable food economies can help reinvigorate urban and rural areas, supporting small retailers and street markets, and combating the trend towards large scale, out of town food retailing. The common experience of growing, cooking and enjoying sustainable food can break down barriers and stimulate a sense of ownership of, and pride in, the local environment.
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Sustainable economic development:
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Sustainable food economies can create fulfilling,environmentally sustainable jobs and training. A study by the New Economics Foundation
found that for every £1 spent on an organic box scheme, £2.40 was contributed to the local economy through the multiplier effect whilst only £1.20 was generated from £1 spent at a supermarket.
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Better health:
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You generally get fresher and more nutritious food. This is so as the longer time fruit and vegetables have been stored during transport, the more its nutritional value has reduced.
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Educational opportunities:
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Sustainable foods provide a great opportunity for children and adults to learn, not just about the food or curriculum subjects, but about local landscapes, traditional production methods, rural lifestyles past and present, the importance of a good diet, people’s lives elsewhere in the world, and regional specialities and recipes.
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Food and farming
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Brighton Peace & Environment Centre,
Address: 39-41 Surrey Street, Brighton, BN1 3PB. United Kingdom.
Tel: UK (01273) 766610
Email: info@bpec.org
Web: www.bpec.org
Company Registration No. 6166971
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