Category: Food

Can you eat food that’s past its best before date?

white and brown eggs in a wire bowl

A best before date is different to a use by date, and misunderstanding them could cause you to throw away perfectly good food.

As well as wasting money, throwing away food wastes the energy that was used growing, packing and transporting that food to you, and could cause methane to be emitted from landfill as the food decomposes anaerobically. It’s a big problem – WRAP, the waste action organisation, estimates that waste in the UK food supply chain causes 36 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year[1].

So what’s the difference between a use by date and a best before date?

  • In the UK, use by dates indicate the likely date by which the food will probably go bad
  • Best before dates simply mean the food might not taste quite as good after that date, but it should still be safe to eat

If the packaging is undamaged and the food was processed safely to begin with, dry goods and tins can last months, or even years, past their best before dates.

However, use common sense. If your food looks, smells or tastes wrong, or if the container is swollen, damaged or leaking, don’t eat it.

Tips for using food past its best before date

We often eat vegan yoghurt, vegan cheese and vegetables that have gone past their best before dates, and our non-vegans regularly eat eggs, milk, cheese and yoghurt that are past their best before dates too.

But you still have to use your eyes, nose and common sense to judge whether your food is OK or not. Here are some tips for when food is probably safe, and when you shouldn’t risk it.

  • Just so we are very clear, you should not eat food that is past its use by date
  • Hard cheese, like cheddar, will probably last weeks longer than the best before date suggests; being left for long periods of time is part of the cheese-making process.
    It will last even longer if wrapped tightly in a beeswax wrap, because a beeswax wrap will keep the air away better than the original plastic packaging will.
    Even if your cheddar cheese has gone hard or mouldy on the edges, the middle is probably still fine.
    If you see white dots on the surface of dairy cheese, it’s probably not mould, but calcium lactate crystals – a sign that the cheese is flavourful and well-aged
  • Yoghurt and vegan yoghurt will probably last days past their best before dates. I’ve eaten it many times, but your constitution might be different. Don’t take chances if you are very young, old, pregnant or immunocompromised
  • Eggs last weeks longer than the best before date indicates. If you’re not sure about an egg, don’t throw it away; break it into an empty cup. If it’s gone bad, you’ll know immediately by the smell!
  • You shouldn’t eat food with an open texture (like bread and cake) if you can see mould on it. But if the food has a solid texture, like cheese, apples or carrots, you can cut out the bad bits and carry on
  • Potatoes and carrots last for weeks in the fridge or another cool dark place. Cut any green bits, sprouting bits or “eyes” off, and the rest should be fine
  • If you’re not going to finish a loaf of bread before it goes stale, slice it and freeze it in a bag together with a paper towel. You can take out one slice at a time and toast it, or defrost it all at once – the paper towel will absorb any moisture so the bread doesn’t go soggy.
    Alternatively, grate it or blitz it into breadcrumbs and use it as a topping for a pasta bake, to bulk out homemade burgers, for stuffing, or as a crunchy coating for nuggets
  • Some supermarkets have stopped putting best before dates on fruit and vegetables, so buyers aren’t discouraged from buying food that’s still good. That’s great, but unless you’re very good at organising, you can still use them in the wrong order at home, so the oldest ones go off anyway!
    You can avoid this problem by writing the purchase date on the packaging with a Sharpie, so you use the oldest food first
  • Tomatoes that are a bit wrinkly – but not yet mouldy – can be frozen, then roasted later on
  • Take great care with homemade items, like jams, preserves or pickles, which could have been made under non-sterile conditions and contain the botulism toxin. You can’t see, smell, or taste this toxin, which can be deadly even in small amounts. Do not take chances with home-made jams, preserves or pickles; refrigerate them and use them up quickly

Important:
Always use your own judgment. If food looks, smells or tastes wrong to you, or if the packaging is swollen, damaged or leaking, don’t eat it. In fact, if you are in any doubt at all, it’s best not to eat it. Definitely don’t take chances if you’re serving food to someone who is very young, very old, pregnant or has a compromised immune system.

Reference:
[1]Household waste prevention hub: Waste prevention activities – food waste data (2021) WRAP. WRAP. Available at: https://wrap.org.uk/resources/guide/waste-prevention-activities/food-love-waste-data (Accessed: March 23, 2023).

Image credit: photo by Natalie Rhea on Unsplash

Categories: All actions, Food, Saves money, Waste

How to use jam jars to freeze extra portions

three jam jars viewed from above containing dark brown and pale brown preserves on a wooden table with yellow marigolds to the left

Cooking from scratch is an important skill for living sustainably, but it takes a big chunk of time out of your day. It makes sense to cook more than you need, and then save the extra portions so you can have a quick meal another day.

You’ll need something to store the extra portions in. Jam jars are a perfect single portion size, infinitely reusable and store nicely in your freezer, but there are some important tips to do it safely.

How to freeze food in jam jars

  • Start saving your jam jars! Jars with wide necks are the easiest to fill and least likely to crack, but save all of them to begin with and replace them with better ones over time.
  • Jars with plastic, or plastic-coated, lids are better than metal ones, because frozen metal can hurt your fingers when you touch it. Protect your hand with a tea towel if you can’t avoid using a metal lid.
  • Soak the original label off the jar in warm soapy water. Some labels come off easier than others. If the label leaves a lot of glue behind and it won’t come off easily, it’s probably best to recycle the jar instead, as it will always stay sticky.
  • Make sure the jar is clean and dry. You might want to sterilise it in the oven or the dishwasher first, but we haven’t found this to be necessary.
  • Fill the jar with food. Leave approximately a 1-inch gap at the top of the jar to give the food room to expand as it freezes.
  • Write what’s in the jar, and the date, on a small sticky label or a reusable tag. Stick the label on the lid, or tie the reusable tag around the neck of the jar, so you know what’s in it later. Labels soak off lids better than they soak off glass jars, so stick the label to the lid to make your life easier later.
  • Liquids expand when they freeze, so put the lid on loosely to start with, otherwise the jar may crack as the food freezes and expands.
  • Now let the food cool down before putting it in the freezer, so your freezer doesn’t have to work so hard cooling it down.
  • Later, when the food is completely frozen, tighten the lid to stop air from getting to the food (you can do this when you next go in the freezer – you don’t have to set a timer).

How do I defrost food in jam jars?

  • Plan ahead when you want to use the food. Instead of defrosting it in the microwave, save energy by taking the jar out of the freezer the night before. Put it in the fridge and leave it to defrost overnight.
  • Heat the food in a saucepan or use it in a recipe. Make sure it’s completely warmed through.
  • If you have any leftovers after this meal, you’ll need to throw them away, because you shouldn’t freeze the food a second time.
  • After use, soak the label off by leaving the lid in a small amount of water for a few minutes. If you put the jar in the dishwasher without removing the label, you will get bits of paper stuck to all your crockery and in the filter.
  • Use the dishwasher to clean the jar and the lid, then store it with the lid on, ready to use it again.

Image credit: photo by Tina Witherspoon on Unsplash

Categories: All actions, Food, In Lockdown, Quick & easy, Saves money, Waste

How to shop sustainably at a zero waste shop, supermarket or online

Loose fruit and vegetables on a market stall

However lovely it might be, we can’t always buy our food direct from a local organic farmer. So how can you make the best choices from what’s available?

How to buy sustainably at the zero waste shop

dry goods bins at a zero waste shop

What does a typical zero waste shop stock?

A typical zero waste shop will stock:

  • Dry goods (flour, muesli, pasta & spices)
  • Washing and cleaning products (dispense-it-yourself clothes washing liquid, washing up liquid, vinegar, soap bars & laundry sheets)
  • Personal hygiene products (razors, sanitary towels, menstrual cups, shampoo bars, toothbrushes & tooth tablets)
  • Tins (vegan soup, beans, tofu & seitan)
  • Treats (sustainably sourced chocolate, vegan chocolate nibs, dried fruit & coated peanuts)
  • Household products (compostable bags & scrubbing brushes)
  • Sustainable gifts and cards
  • Plant based milks and nut butters, often made from scratch in the shop

What’s it like shopping at a zero waste shop?

Zero waste shops are usually run by passionately green people. They’re likely to be very knowledgeable about environmental issues and keen to encourage you, so it’s a great place to feel part of a “tribe”. You’ll be able to get advice on all sorts of green issues, from how to clean the interior workings of your washing machine, to which vegan chocolate is best.

You might be surprised to find that many items are cheaper at the zero waste shop, compared to the supermarket. That’s because you’re not paying for the packaging and branding. Spices and dried goods are likely to be very good value compared to what you’re used to.

How does shopping in a zero waste shop actually work?

  • Zero waste shops usually stock their dry goods in hygienic gravity-fed hoppers (so there’s no fear that someone else has sneezed on the food or rummaged around with dirty fingers).
  • On your first visit, you can either take your own containers or buy them from the store. Then you can re-use those containers on subsequent visits.
  • You buy your dry goods produce by weight, but they will deduct the weight of the container from the total so you don’t pay for that as well.
  • You’ll need to weigh your container before you fill it. There will be a set of scales in the shop or on the counter. You’ll probably need to write the weight on the bottom of your container with a Sharpie, and they should have one for you to use.
  • If you’re bringing your own containers, check out the size of the dispensing holes on the hoppers first, and bring a container with a suitably wide mouth (to avoid spilling food on the floor).
  • If you’re buying a large amount of dry goods (e.g. flour), use a paper bag to keep the weight down. The shop will probably have clean paper bags for that purpose.
  • The shop staff will be happy to show you how to dispense the produce.
  • They will also have towels to mop up when you inevitably dispense washing-up liquid onto the floor.
  • Go there last on your shopping trip, because washing liquid, muesli and flour get heavy really quickly.
  • Take several reusable bags so you can spread the weight across your shoulders and hands.
  • If you are lucky, they might even offer an online delivery service.

How to buy sustainably at the supermarket

loose kale and radishes on a supermarket shelf above vegetables packed in plastic

You can buy a lot from a zero waste shop, but there will inevitably be things you need from a conventional shop too. If you go to the supermarket and fill your own trolley, you have an advantage over online shoppers because you can see exactly what you’re buying.

  • Write a shopping list and stick to it, to avoid impulse buys or buying duplicates of things you already have.
  • Bring your reusable bags with you. Their critics say you have to use them hundreds of times before they’ve covered the cost of the water and energy used in their manufacture, but if you’re going to use them weekly for years, you’ve got that covered, no problem.
  • As you leave the house, put your shopping list inside your reusable bag. This makes it much harder to accidentally leave your reusable bags in the car.
  • If you’re buying food that you’re going to eat soon, or freeze, choose short-dated produce. This reduces the amount of food the shop throws away.
  • You can bring your own produce bags for loose fruit and vegetables (they don’t have to be fancy – a net bag or a reused clear plastic bag is fine).
  • If you eat cheese or meat, buy them from the deli counter to avoid unnecessary packaging.
  • If you can’t buy it loose, choose produce that’s packed in compostable or paper wrappers, cardboard trays instead of plastic trays, or glass jars instead of plastic containers.

How to buy sustainably online

close up of person wearing black gloves holding a red crate full of vegetables

If you buy your shopping online, you’ll have to rely on the descriptions on the website and learn as you go. But, it’s much easier to check the ingredients and see reviews from other shoppers.

  • Use an ethical online superstore to find products that tick all the sustainability boxes, but aren’t available in mainstream stores. Ethical Superstore has a great range of household goods, cleaning products and beauty products.
  • If buying online from a mainstream supermarket, choose one that delivers direct from your local store (e.g. Waitrose, Sainsburys or Tesco), or one that uses a local delivery driver who plans their route (like Riverford). That means your groceries aren’t being delivered from a central warehouse that could be hundreds of miles away (like Ocado) – an unforgivable waste of fuel and tyre wear.
  • If you’re buying an unfamiliar product, check the product description to see what it’s packaged in, and choose one that can be recycled. The photos can be misleading. Where possible, avoid plastic packaging, which can be recycled but often isn’t.
  • You can filter your search results so you only see vegan or vegetarian items.
  • Buying online from a list of favourites makes it easy to avoid impulse buys.
  • Choose a “green” delivery slot to minimise delivery mileage. (A green delivery slot means someone else who lives nearby has already booked a delivery in the same time window.)

Image credits:
Loose fruit and vegetables: photo by Jacopo Maia on Unsplash
Dry goods hoppers in a zero waste shop: photo by Benjamin Brunner on Unsplash
Vegetables on supermarket shelves: photo by Eduardo Soares on Unsplash
Delivery person holding a crate of food: photo by Liuba Bilyk on Unsplash

Categories: All actions, Food, Free, Quick & easy, Uncategorized

Climate action – how to use a zero-waste shop

dry goods bins at a zero waste shop

How do zero-waste shops work?

Zero-waste shops sell everyday items, like groceries, cleaning products, personal care items and gifts, without plastic packaging. But, because they’re all about reducing packaging, they don’t work like normal shops!

You can bring your own containers, or buy reusable containers from them the first time you buy something. They’ll write the weight of the container on the bottom, and deduct it when they weigh your goods, so you don’t end up paying for the weight of the container!

Dry goods like pasta, flour and muesli are usually stored in gravity bin dispensers. You simply put your container underneath, open the door at the bottom, fill your container, and close the door again. Wide-necked containers are best otherwise you will make a mess… but they’ll have a dustpan and brush handy.

Spices are usually stored in Kilner jars, with a spoon nearby so you can measure out how much you need.

Cleaning products like washing up liquid, laundry detergent, and fabric conditioner will be stored in large plastic tubs. They’ll either have a pump, or a tap and a spout at the bottom. You put the spout into the neck of your reusable bottle, then pump to fill your bottle, or open the tap. Keep an eye on the spout, particularly when pumping!

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been distracted talking to the owner and spilt laundry detergent on the carpet. Fortunately, they are very forgiving and have towels ready to use.

What other things do zero-waste shops sell?

One lovely thing about zero-waste shops is they are often local owner-managed businesses, so they’ll all be different.
Our local shop sells all sorts of environmentally friendly products like beeswax wraps, reusable period products, cleaning brushes, and tooth-cleaning products. They’ve also got a coffee grinder and a “Notella” machine, which grinds hazelnuts and chocolate nibs into a palm-oil-free Nutella substitute.

More good reasons to use a zero-waste shop

  • Zero-waste shops are great places to meet like-minded people so you don’t feel like you’re doing this all on your own
  • They might be a local Terracycle collection point, so you can recycle your crisp packets and chocolate wrappers when you go in
  • Zero-waste shop staff will probably know all about local seed swaps, have the contact details for joining your local Extinction Rebellion group, or know who to speak to about getting a seat on a coach to a protest
  • Together, staff and customers form a local knowledge bank to help solve problems. If you’re thinking of investing in a major green project, they’ll probably know someone who’s already done it. Or if you want to know how to freshen up your washing machine without commercial products, they can tell you how to do that too
  • Using your local zero-waste shop helps keep the High Street alive and supports local small businesses
  • And of course, it means less packaging waste is produced. The amount of packaging used for bulk delivery of stock is much less than the amount needed to pack the same items individually

How can I find my nearest zero-waste shop?

Easy – google “zero waste (your town’s name) or use this map to find your nearest zero-waste shop (but check your local store’s website before you go, for opening hours, and to make sure it’s still running).

Photo credit: Benjamin Brunner on Unsplash

Categories: All actions, Food, High impact, In Lockdown, Waste

How to cut your climate impact – eat seasonally

butternut squash soup with chilli and parsley

There’s a cost to eating whatever we want, whenever we want it – our food has to travel further, often from different continents, or it’s grown locally in industrial heated greenhouses. Both of these options increase the greenhouse gas emissions generated to bring your food to your table.

It’s hard to justify eating our favourite fruit and vegetables fresh all year round. The alternatives are buying local and growing your own – which means eating seasonally.

How do I start eating seasonally if I’m not a good cook?

If you’re not used to cooking from scratch, there’s still plenty you can do to eat seasonally:

  • Think about what vegetables you’re eating with your meal. For example, in winter and early spring, you could roast squash, carrots, parsnips or beetroot instead of summer vegetables that have been grown in heated industrial greenhouses or flown thousands of miles
  • Check Riverford or Abel & Cole’s websites to see what fruit and vegetables they’re currently selling in their seasonal boxes (then buy the same items from the supermarket if that suits your budget better)
  • Learn to cook some simple meals (using whatever you like) to build your confidence, and then move on to more challenging recipes with seasonal ingredients
  • Alternatively, use fruit and vegetables that have been frozen in season (e.g. peas), preserved in oil (e.g. sun-dried tomatoes or peppers), or buy cans (e.g. pears, potatoes, or tomatoes)

How do I start eating seasonally if I’m a confident cook?

Eating seasonally can be a fun and interesting challenge for confident cooks.

  • Think about what sorts of fruit and vegetables your grandparents or great-grandparents might have eaten at this time of year, and use that as a guide
  • If you need to use a non-seasonal ingredient, buy it frozen, canned, dried or preserved
  • Check Abel & Cole or Riverford for seasonal boxes, either to start you off or get you through the winter and spring when there isn’t much to be harvested. Both companies can supply your choice of familiar or unfamiliar fruit and vegetables, and also provide recipes showing you how to use them
  • Search Pinterest for ideas and BBC Good Food for recipes featuring your main seasonal ingredient
  • Experiment and create new meals by swapping out an ingredient in a favourite recipe and using a seasonal ingredient instead

How do I start eating seasonally if I want to grow my own food?

Eating seasonally is most rewarding if you grow some of your own food. The pride you get from finally eating vegetables you’ve grown from seed and tended through the summer heat is amazing!

  • Remember you don’t have to do it all at once – if you want to start growing your own, it’s best to start with fruit and vegetables that you know you’ll eat, so your effort doesn’t go to waste. We started with tomatoes, peppers, squash and courgettes because we eat a lot of them and they can be grown without a greenhouse. You might be able to grow some salad items on a windowsill in winter too
  • Join a local gardening club or Facebook group to get advice on when to plant and what’s going wrong with your plants
  • To give yourself the best chance of success, find out:
    – the best planting times in your country or zone
    – the first and last frost dates for your area
    – what type of soil you have
    – which areas of your garden get full or partial sun, and what grows best in each area
  • Learn about companion planting and crop rotation to help your plants thrive
  • Make the most of all the space in your garden. Consider pots, raised beds, vegetables planted amongst flowers, hanging baskets, vertical space (trellis, poles, fences), cold frames to extend the growing season, vines and fruit trees grown against warm house walls, a fruit cage or a greenhouse
  • Get an allotment
  • Arrange to tend someone else’s garden in exchange for giving them a share of the produce (try Lend and Tend (UK), AllotMe (UK) or Shared Earth (US))
  • If you’re really going for it and want to be entirely self-sufficient, estimates for the amount of land needed range from 0.75 to 1.25 acres per person for a vegetarian diet. Check out this Grand Designs episode for the story of an inspirational couple who feed not just themselves and their family, but also support their catering business, on five acres of land in Somerset (season 22, episode 9)
  • See our gardening page for more ideas

Image credit: photo by Sara Dubler on Unsplash

Categories: Food, Gardening, Travel & commuting, Uncategorized

How to take climate action – grow your own food

green and red tomatoes growing ripening on vine

Why should I grow my own food?

Every piece of food that you grow yourself saves you money, has zero food miles, zero packaging waste, gets you outside in the fresh air, and gives you a massive sense of achievement. You also get the satisfaction of eating seasonally and learning to store and use your own produce.

You can do it on a small scale or a large scale. In different houses, over the years, I’ve grown vegetables in a dedicated vegetable plot, mixed in amongst flowers in the border, on windowsills, and on balconies.

If you haven’t got the space to grow fruit and vegetables at home, consider an allotment. However, there are often long waiting lists for allotments, so if you can see yourself wanting one in the future, contact your local council and get your name down now.
Alternatively, arrange to tend someone else’s garden in exchange for sharing the produce (try Lend and Tend (UK), AllotMe (UK) or Shared Earth (US)).

What seeds should I buy?

The seeds you buy from the garden centre are often either F1 hybrids or genetically modified. The offspring are likely to be infertile or unstable, which means there’s no point saving seed from your plants to sow next year, locking you into a never-ending seed-purchase cycle that only benefits the international seed companies.

While this isn’t likely to be a big problem for hobby growers, it could become a huge problem for farmers in developing countries if the monopoly suppliers jack up their prices. And, as climate change increases the frequency of extreme and unpredictable weather events, the reducing genetic range (and therefore adaptability) of our staple food crops could become a problem for all of us.

I prefer not to support the big international seed companies, and I like the seed I use to be stable and unmodified, so I buy mine from a family company that grows heirloom varieties. In my experience, the seeds germinate reliably, generally produce good crops, and you can save the seed from your plants to use them next year. They even give you instructions on how to save the seed.

Here is a list of companies that sell organic seeds in the UK, courtesy of The Ecologist journal.

How can I get the most out of a small plot?

The majority of homes in the UK have very small plots, and we’ve all been trained to think that a flawless lawn is “peak garden”. So you may need to think creatively if you want to grow fruit and vegetables at home while allowing the rest of your family to continue to enjoy the garden in their own way.

  • If your partner isn’t convinced, create a Pinterest board of “beautiful gardens that aren’t lawns” to help them visualise what you’re planning
  • Remember you don’t have to do it all at once. Start with fruit and vegetables that you know you’ll eat, so your effort doesn’t go to waste. We started with tomatoes, peppers, squash and courgettes because we eat a lot of them and they can be grown without a greenhouse
  • Protect your crops from dogs, balls and children with a sturdy fence or a fruit cage
  • You can grow salad items on a windowsill, possibly even in winter (depending on how much sun the windowsill gets)
  • Join a local gardening club or Facebook group to get advice on when to plant and what’s going wrong with your plants
  • Find out when the last and first frost dates are in your area
  • Learn which plants grow well together and which don’t
  • To make the most of the space you have, try:
    – growing in pots
    – raised beds
    – vegetables planted amongst flowers
    – salad leaves as ground cover or ornamental lawn edging
    – hanging baskets (good for protecting strawberries from slugs)
    – increasing your growing area by using vertical space, e.g. growing plants up a trellis, an arch, a cone made of bamboo poles, or along wires fastened to fences
    – using cold frames to extend the growing season
    – growing vines and fruit trees against sunny walls so the plants benefit from the heat store
    – underplanting vertical plants (like sweetcorn, tomatoes or beans) with ground cover plants (like lettuce, courgettes or squash)
  • If you have enough space, a fruit cage or a greenhouse will help protect your crops so you get a better yield
  • If you have too little space for your needs, apply for an allotment or tend a neighbour’s garden in exchange for giving them a share of the produce

How can I become fully self-sufficient?

If you’re really going for it and want to be fully self-sufficient, estimates for the amount of land needed range from 0.75 to 1.25 acres per person for a vegetarian diet.

Check out this Grand Designs episode for the story of an inspirational couple who feed not just themselves and their family, but also support their catering business, on five acres of land in Somerset (season 22, episode 9).

If you’re living the self-sufficiency dream, we’d love to hear about it for our inspirational stories – please email info@biggreenideaslist.com and let us know!

Photo credit: Dan Gold on Unsplash

Categories: All actions, Food, Gardening, High impact, Saves money, Waste

Cutting your food miles or cutting out meat – which is better?

bunches of yellow bananas

What are food miles?

Food miles are the distance your food travels, from where it’s produced to your plate. Every mile travelled increases the greenhouse gases emitted.

However, it’s not as simple as it first appears.

Is it better to eat locally-reared meat, or fruit and vegetables that have travelled a long way?

The short answer, according to a study by researchers at the University of Oxford, is:

The impact of even the lowest-impact animal products is typically worse than the impact of vegetable substitutes.

The study, by Poore and Nemecek of the University of Oxford[1], acknowledges that there is a lot of variability between producers, and therefore scope for many meat producers to improve, which should be encouraged. But as a general rule to live by, it’s better for the environment if you eat plant-based food, no matter how far it’s travelled.

That’s because the emissions from producing food far outweigh the emissions caused by transporting it. (A different study [2] showed that just 5% of American households’ food-related emissions were generated at the transport stage.)

So your priority should be:

  • first cut out beef, other meats and dairy transported from far away, e.g. beef from cattle reared in the Amazon, replacing them with plant-based protein or smaller quantities of animal protein produced in your own country
  • then cut out beef, other meat and dairy that have been produced closer to home, replacing them with plant-based protein
  • finally, choose seasonal fruit and vegetables, or at least ones grown in warmer areas of your own continent. (This avoids wasting the energy used to heat industrial greenhouses in winter, or high-altitude air freight.)

So what is plant-based protein?

Protein is a basic building block of life, so all plants contain some protein – but some plants contain more, or more complete, protein than others.

Some of the best sources of plant-based protein are quinoa, seitan (vital wheat gluten), soy-based foods like TVP (textured vegetable protein), peas, beans (including baked beans from a can!), lentils, chickpeas (and anything made from them, like hummus or falafels), tofu, oats, rice, nuts and seeds.

[1] Poore, J. and Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), pp.987-992.
After researching five environmental indicators, 38,700 farms, and 1600 processors, packaging types, and retailers, the researchers found that “Most strikingly, impacts of the lowest-impact animal products typically exceed those of vegetable substitutes, providing new evidence for the importance of dietary change.”

[2] Weber, C and Scott Matthew, H (2008) Food-Miles And The Relative Climate Impacts Of Food Choices In The United States. [online] Available at: <https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es702969f> [Accessed 25 January 2021].

Photo credit: Matthew T Rader on Unsplash

Categories: All actions, Food, High impact, Travel & commuting

How to cut your food waste

loaf of bread with knife and wheat on a black background

We’ve been trained by supermarkets and cautious parents to only eat food that looks perfect, a habit which contributes to the 9.5 million tonnes of food the UK wastes, every year[1].

Once you change your way of thinking, you’ll be amazed at how much edible food you used to waste.

Make a plan and think ahead

Plan your meals in advance

Plan your meals for the week so you can:

  • use up anything you’ve got left over
  • plan something easy for busy days
  • batch cook on days when you’ve got more time
  • defrost tomorrow’s food overnight (chilled food cooks quicker, so it uses less energy than cooking from frozen)

Shop with a list

Shopping with a list helps you stick to a budget, avoid impulse buys that go to waste, and avoid buying accidental duplicates of things you already have.

Freeze food in portion sizes

Cut your garlic bread or pizza into portion sizes before you freeze it, then only defrost what you need (useful for everyone, but particularly if you’re cooking for one, or if you have small children who eat earlier than you do).

Use jam jars to freeze batch-cooked food

Each jar is the right size for one person, so you only defrost the quantity you need. This is particularly useful for families that have a mixture of meat-eaters and vegetarians/vegans.
Learn how to freeze food in jam jars.

Using up food that’s about to go bad

Learn the difference between use-by dates and best-before dates

Find out the difference between a best-before date and a use-by date – misunderstanding could be causing you to throw away perfectly good food.

Leftovers

Use your leftovers to make a quirky lunch tomorrow (e.g. fish fingers in a wrap with lettuce and mayo; chilli in a bap; roasted vegetables with pasta).

Bread

Freeze sliced bread before it goes stale. When you freeze it, put a piece of kitchen roll or a piece of teatowel in the bread bag – this will absorb any excess moisture so the bread doesn’t go soggy when you defrost it later. You can toast bread straight from frozen, or defrost as many slices as you need, overnight, in a reusable bag.

If your bread has already gone stale, or no one ever eats the crusts, grate them or whizz them up in a food processor. Use the breadcrumbs as a crunchy topping for a pasta bake, or breading for nuggets.

Fruit

You can freeze fruit that’s gone a bit past its best (but not mouldy). The fruit will be squishy when defrosted, so use them in a recipe where you don’t expect them to be firm, like a smoothie, porridge, overnight oats, a crumble or any baked fruit recipe. Bananas can be frozen and used as a base for a smoothie, non-dairy ice cream, or banana bread.

Vegetables

Freeze vegetables that are past their best (but not mouldy) and roast them later. Tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables work really well, as you expect roasted vegetables to be squashy anyway.

Save veg peelings/tops to bring extra flavour to soups or stock.

Save your potato peelings and make homemade “crisps” in the oven.

Broccoli stems are nice when sliced thinly, brushed with oil, seasoned and lightly pan-fried.

The leaves of many root vegetables can be sauteed like chard, or used to make a variation on pesto.

Salad

Put a piece of kitchen roll, or a piece of a tea towel, in your bag of salad leaves or spinach. The leaves will last much longer before they start to go slimy.

Use excess salad leaves or spinach to make pesto – a super-easy mid-week meal.

Eggs

Eggs last a long time past their best-before date, but if you have some that you are sure you won’t use in time, you can freeze them. Crack the egg as normal, then freeze the white and yolk either together or separately in small containers.

Milk

Milk can be frozen, but be careful because liquid expands when it freezes. Follow these steps to avoid splitting the container:

  • Loosen the lid
  • Very gently, push in the side of the bottle (not so much that the milk comes out of the bottle!)
  • With the side still pushed in, tighten the lid
  • Now freeze it
  • When the milk expands, it will just push the side of the container back out, and the bottle shouldn’t split

Cheese

Grate bits of hardened cheese and freeze them, then use them later for cheesy toppings.

Random leftovers

Use odd leftovers in quiches, mixed through rice, on pasta, roasted and served on a slice of puff pastry, or in omelettes.

Why not have a “whatever” night every week, when you finish up whatever’s left over in the fridge? This should save money as well as introduce some variety – you may find a new favourite meal.

[1] Food surplus and waste in the UK – key facts. October 2021. rep. Available at: https://wrap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-10/food-%20surplus-and-%20waste-in-the-%20uk-key-facts-oct-21.pdf (Accessed: January 2, 2023).

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Categories: All actions, Food, High impact, In Lockdown, Quick & easy, Saves money, Waste

Make your own lunch

lunchtime sandwich roll with brie walnuts and salad

Bad memories of the sandwiches you used to have to eat at school? Don’t worry, things have moved on.

Using last night’s leftovers to make your lunch prevents food waste – but you also get to amaze your colleagues with the unending variety of your lunches. If you usually buy your sandwiches at the supermarket, you’ll also save money and prevent plastic waste.

Try different types of bread, rice, salads, or pasta, served with a mixture of fillings, spreads, or whatever your kids didn’t eat from last night’s dinner.

Some ideas that are definitely better than yet another cheese sandwich are:

  • left-over vegetarian/chicken nuggets with chilli mayo and salad leaves served in a wrap
  • left-over (vegan) fish fingers with lemon mayo in a wrap
  • uneaten naan with yoghurt and cucumber
  • cooked-too-many roasted vegetables with couscous
  • reheated pasta and sauce, topped with a few fresh tomatoes
  • reheated chilli served up in a bun like a sloppy joe
  • almost any leftovers folded into an omelette (egg or chickpea based)
  • wilted salad leaves whizzed into a pesto with garlic, lemon juice and cashew nuts, served on toast
  • leftover vegetables mixed through a bean salad, with a simple vinaigrette dressing

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Categories: All actions, Food, In Lockdown, Quick & easy, Saves money, Waste

Eating better step 5 – choose a vegan diet

crispy vegan burger in a bun with salad and vegan cheese

Eating a vegan diet doesn’t have to mean a life of lentils. Seriously, just look at that burger. It’s from Vincent Vegan, Berlin. Yum!

Why go vegan?

Removing all animal products from your diet is the best way to reduce the huge environmental impact caused by commercial animal farming.

What is a vegan diet?

According to the Vegan Society, a vegan diet is based on:

  • fruit
  • vegetables
  • starchy foods e.g. oats, potato, bread, rice and noodles
  • proteins including peas, beans and lentils
  • healthy plant-based fats including omega-3 and omega-6
  • vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins B12 and D, iodine and selenium

It means cutting out meat, dairy, eggs, and any other foods or additives that come from animals.

The good news is that there are so many easy-to-use alternatives to the foods we learned to cook with (and wrongly assumed were essential). For example, we regularly make vegan bread at home (using sunflower or olive oil instead of butter, and oat or almond milk instead of cow’s milk) and it is softer and just as tasty as bread made with a traditional recipe.

Moving towards a vegan diet

Going vegan is a low-risk, cheap, effective way to reduce your environmental impact, but it’s also quite hard – which is why we’re suggesting you get there in stages, particularly if you don’t know any other vegans to help you work out what you’re doing. There’s no shame in starting off as a part-time vegan (e.g. just at weekends, when you have more time to cook from scratch; or a weekday vegan, to make it easier to eat with friends at the weekend).

Any progress is good, and better than making things too hard for yourself and quitting.

Meat substitutes and vegan cheese can be expensive, but you can eat cheaply and healthily if you choose a good variety of vegetables, fruit, nuts and legumes (peas and beans), supplementing with essential nutrients like vitamin B12 and some types of omega-3 fatty acids.

We realise that veganism is a privilege, and that people who are on a very low income, are time-poor and/or don’t have access to adequate cooking facilities may find it difficult to eat well on a vegan diet. This is a political issue and one that you should write to your political representative and the heads of supermarkets about. If this is you, please just do what you can, even if that is just getting through the day.

Choose a vegan diet, but do it safely

This next bit is important; please read it.

Just as many Western diets lack vital nutrients, an unplanned vegan diet can lack some essential nutrients like vitamin B12 and some types of omega-3 fatty acids. If you are following a vegan diet, you need to know what you should be eating or doing to make up the shortfall.

So if you’re going vegan, make sure you read advice from responsible sources like the NHS, the Vegan Society or consult a qualified dietician.

Previous:
Step 4: go vegetarian

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Eating better Step 3 – cut out dairy & eggs

dairy-free milk made from almonds and cashews

Why cut out dairy and eggs?

Cow farming, including growing crops for their feed, is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. So cutting out dairy is an easy way to reduce your environmental footprint.

Many people also choose to cut out dairy for ethical reasons. Cows only produce milk if they’ve been pregnant, in order to feed their calf – but the dairy industry relies on removing the calf from its mother so we can use the milk instead. The separation distresses both the mother and the calf, and male calves are usually slaughtered at just over a year old.

You may think that eggs are cruelty-free – after all, supermarket eggs aren’t fertilised, so no animal is directly killed to produce that egg. However, chickens farmed for eggs (layers) and chickens farmed to produce the next generation (breeders) are usually kept in overcrowded conditions that lead to aggression and disease. Farmers routinely give their chickens antibiotics “just in case”, which leads to antibiotic resistance. And male chicks are an unwanted waste product of the chicken breeding industry, routinely killed at just a day old.

So do we need dairy and eggs?

The simple answer is no! The dairy industry has spent decades convincing us that we need cow’s milk to keep us healthy, but it just isn’t true – in fact, 68% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant, avoiding dairy products altogether, and suffering no ill effects whatsoever[1].

But we do need calcium – we just have to get it from other sources.

Cutting out dairy is getting easier all the time, but if you’re finding it difficult, you don’t have to do it all in one go. It’s better to take small successful steps towards the goal, rather than try to do it all at once and fail. Personally, I found it very easy to give up milk and yoghurt, while cheese took several years. But any progress is better than giving up.

Eggs are a good source of protein, and they are often used as a source of fat and for their binding properties in traditional recipes. The fact that egg is used in so many ways means there’s no one-size-fits-all alternative, and we have to be a bit creative, using vegetable oils, flax seeds, and even apple sauce depending on what property of eggs we’re trying to substitute for.

What are some non-dairy sources of calcium?

You can get calcium from many sources other than dairy products. According to the NHS article “The Vegan Diet”,[2], you can get calcium from:

  • green, leafy vegetables e.g. broccoli, cabbage and okra
  • fortified unsweetened soya
  • rice and oat drinks
  • calcium-set tofu
  • sesame seeds and tahini (an ingredient in hummus)
  • pulses (peas, beans and lentils)
  • bread (in the UK, calcium is added to white and brown flour by law)
  • and dried fruit, such as raisins, prunes, figs and dried apricots

What are some dairy alternatives?

Vegan milk alternatives

There are plenty of different plant-based milk substitutes. Oat, almond, coconut and soya milk are all well-established and popular, while more recent products include milk made from peas and even potatoes. I find oat milk is the most versatile, and it also has the lowest environmental impact – but all plant milks have a lower impact than dairy milk, so whichever plant milk you prefer, go for it.[3]

Vegan butter alternatives

Butter can be replaced with nut butter (like peanut butter) or excellent vegan butter alternatives like Flora Plant Butter, which is available in a block for baking or a tub for easy spreading. Many other vegan butter products are slimy and tasteless, so I’d urge you to avoid wasting your money on them and go straight for the Flora. Alternatively, you could just not use butter at all, and swap it for vegan pesto (we recommend Sacla), vegan mayonnaise (Hellmans) or any jam (jelly).

Vegan egg alternatives

When baking, eggs are easily replaced with alternatives as varied as banana, apple sauce, aquafaba, flax seed, baking soda, lemonade and vegan yoghurt. Use a good vegan recipe to make sure the right balance of fats and moisture is retained – don’t just substitute at random (baking is more like chemistry than cooking and goes wrong easily).

If you miss the egg running out of your breakfast butty, egg yolk can be replaced with vegan butter mixed with nutritional yeast (no one really likes the white bit anyway, right?).

Scrambled eggs can be mocked up using tofu, and omelettes made using chickpea (gram) flour.

Vegan alternatives to honey

Alternatives to honey are agave syrup (which comes from cacti, and is virtually indistinguishable from runny honey) or maple syrup (which has its own delicious flavour).

Vegan yoghurt alternatives

Yoghurt is an easy swap – there are many vegan yoghurt alternatives available. I prefer the coconut-based ones but that’s really a personal choice.

One great thing about buying a big tub of plain vegan yoghurt is its versatility. You can mix it up with agave syrup one day, defrosted fruit the next, then crunchy oatmeal and raisins, jam, or whatever you fancy. Plus if you’re looking for something savoury, you can spoon it straight from the pot, onto a curry, chilli or nachos. Add a splash of lemon juice as you serve it to make it a little bit more tart if necessary.

Vegan cheese alternatives

Vegan cheese took a huge step forward in 2022 with the release of Cathedral City’s Plant Based Dairy Free block. It’s an absolute game changer as (unlike all other vegan cheese) it actually tastes and behaves like mature cheddar. Go on any vegan group and ask what their favourite cheese is, and you’ll see it’s the clear winner. It does smell quite a lot, but you could argue, so does good real cheese.

For other types of cheeses and more recommendations, check out our eco-friendly alternatives page for a list of our favourite vegan alternatives!

Next:
Step 4: go completely vegetarian

Previous:
Step 2: stop eating beef

[1] Storhaug et al, (2017). Country, regional, and global estimates for lactose malabsorption in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet, volume 2, issue 10, P738-746, October 01, 2017

[2] nhs.uk. 2021. The Vegan Diet. [online] Available at: <https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-vegan-diet/> [Accessed 17 January 2021].

[3] the Guardian. 2021. Almonds Are Out. Dairy Is A Disaster. So What Milk Should We Drink?. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/28/what-plant-milk-should-i-drink-almond-killing-bees-aoe> [Accessed 17 January 2021].

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Categories: All actions, Cheap, Food, High impact, In Lockdown

Eating better Step 4 – go completely vegetarian

tomato quiche, vegetarian meal

Cutting out all meat (including chicken and fish) is the next step after beef and dairy.

There are so many reasons to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle – improving your own health, stopping cruelty to animals, reducing your impact on the environment, and saving money. Plus there are so many delicious alternatives to meat.

Don’t worry if you slip up sometimes. 95% there is better than trying and giving up altogether. Do what works for you, but work towards the goal.

Why stop eating chicken?

Chicken has less impact per head than cattle, but there are more of them, and they eat a lot of food. According to Greenpeace, nearly half of the soya the EU imports from Brazil is fed to chickens. This soya is grown on land that used to be rainforest – which accelerates the climate crisis and pushes wildlife towards extinction.[1]

Why stop eating fish?

Eating fish (particularly those caught by large-scale commercial fishing operations) causes significant harm to marine life. In addition to over-fishing (which endangers animals further up the food chain), commercial fishing methods like trawling, gillnets and longlines catch many more species than intended. Affected species include whales, dolphins, turtles, sharks and other species of fish, which may be injured in the process, and are discarded.

Discarded fishing nets and tackle (known as “ghost gear”) make up 10% of plastic pollution in the ocean – and up to 70% of floating macroplastics (the large bits). This plastic waste poses a threat to marine life for decades.[2]

Next:
Step 5: choose a vegan diet

Previous:
Step 3: cut out dairy & eggs

[1] Greenpeace.org.uk. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/is-eating-chicken-better-for-the-environment-than-beef/> [Accessed 10 January 2021].

[2] the Guardian. 2021. Dumped Fishing Gear Is Biggest Plastic Polluter In Ocean, Finds Report. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/06/dumped-fishing-gear-is-biggest-plastic-polluter-in-ocean-finds-report> [Accessed 10 January 2021].

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Categories: All actions, Food, High impact, In Lockdown, Saves money

Eating better step 2 – stop eating beef

black brown and white cows in a green field in sunlight

Why should I stop eating beef?

Cutting out beef (and dairy) is the most effective way to reduce your environmental impact, according to Oxford University research into the environmental impact of farming.[1]

Poore and Nemecek of the University of Oxford compared the greenhouse gas emissions caused by farming and processing animal products with those of substitute vegetable-based proteins, like peas and soy. But they didn’t just look at one study. This was a meta-study, meaning they analysed the data from multiple studies in order to overcome any bias and understand the overall trend. They analysed 570 consistent and high-quality studies, covering approximately 38,700 commercially viable farms across 119 countries, and 40 food products, representing about 90% of the global protein and calorie intake.

So how bad is beef for the environment?

The study’s results show that the production of just 100g of beef protein (about half a steak, or a portion of chilli) causes an average of 50kg (110 lbs) of greenhouse gases to be produced. The worst producers caused a staggering 105kg (231 lbs) of greenhouse gases to be produced. In comparison, lamb causes 20kg of greenhouse gases per 100g produced.

However, the production of plant-based protein has significantly less impact on the environment. For example, tofu causes just 2kg (just under 41/2lb) of greenhouse gases per 100g, and peas just 0.4kg (less than 1 lb) per 100g.[2]

What can I replace meat with?

Try going meat-free a few times a week so you can learn how to use other ingredients like lentils, mushrooms, tofu, Quorn or vegan textured vegetable protein alternatives, then cut out beef altogether.

Cutting out beef could also save you money because vegetables are generally cheaper than good-quality meat.

You’re allowed to fail sometimes! Don’t give up – all progress is good.

Next:
Step 3: cut out dairy & eggs

Previous:
Step 1: go meat-free a few times a week

[1] Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth, The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth (Accessed: February 20, 2023).

[2] Poore, J. and Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), pp.987-992. Fig. 1.

Photo credit: Kate Spencer

Categories: All actions, Food, High impact, In Lockdown, Saves money

Eating better Step 1 – go meat-free a few times a week

meat free meal with salsa, chips, dip and tomatoes

Why should we cook without meat a few times each week?

Avoiding meat and dairy products is one of the most effective things you can do to reduce your environmental impact.[1] That’s because meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories – but they use 83% of farmland and produce 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions![2]

But if you and your family are used to eating meat and dairy, completely cutting them out isn’t going to be easy. That’s why we recommend going meat-free a few times a week to start with. It’s an easy way to introduce die-hard meat eaters to alternative foods without making them feel too cheated and resistant.

How do you start cutting out meat?

It’s easy to find out just how tasty meat-free and dairy-free meals can be. If you’re not used to cooking, most supermarkets now stock a good range of vegetarian and vegan ready meals.
Meanwhile, practice making some easy meals. Eating sustainably is easier, cheaper and more interesting if you know how to cook from scratch.
Check out our list of eco-friendly food alternatives for our guide to the best dairy and meat replacements.

If you have some experience cooking, start by searching Pinterest or BBC Good Food for recipe inspiration. You’ll have a lot of fun discovering foods you didn’t know existed. Look for recipes with a small number of familiar ingredients to start with, or swap out the meat in a meal that you’re used to making.

Can you save money by going meat-free?

Vegetables are generally cheaper than meat, so eating plant-based meals can save you money. For example:

  • You can buy the ingredients for vegan chilli, including plant-based mince, for £2.01 (Aldi, April 23)
  • It would cost £3.85 if you made the same chilli with minced beef (Aldi, April 23)

Alternatively, if you’re buying ready meals, you can save money by buying a side dish and treating it as your main. For example:

  • Buy cauliflower cheese (Aldi, £2.09 for 750g) instead of a family-sized beef lasagne (Aldi, £3.69),
  • Buy aloo gobi saag (Sainburys, £2.50) instead of chicken tikka masala (Sainsburys, £4.25).

Next:
Step 2: stop eating beef

[1,2] Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth, The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth (Accessed: February 20, 2023).

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