Feeding for the future

There's another useful article on the relationship between food and climate change here in an interesting and useful paper from the UK's Sustainable Development Commission.

Anyone who has studied the back of a weetabix packet over breakfast will be aware of the basics of healthy eating - rubbish in, rubbish results etc, but the links between the type of food we eat and its ecological and carbon footprint may not be clear to many.

The SDC's report, following on from comments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and many others, signposts us to a set of dietary changes that our good news for our bodies, the UK health budget, and our prospects of reducing the effects of climate change. Their research finds that:

"consuming only fish from sustainable stocks, eating more seasonal food, cutting out bottled water, shopping on foot or over the internet and consuming more wildlife-friendly, organic foods would also contribute towards a more sustainable diet. However, the most significant health and environmental benefits were from reducing meat and dairy, cutting food and drink of low nutritional value – including fatty and sugary foods – and reducing food waste"

Little Do: cook one meal with a radically improved set of ingredients, and producing no waste other than compost, then take time to notice its taste and how the meal experience changed.

Big Do: commit to going vegetarian or vegan for six months or more.