Guide Reveals Simple Tips for Sustainable Cooking

To shed light on the increasing concern of food sustainability, the Sustainable Guide for Cooking gathers the latest insights from food experts and popular UK local brands on how to make sustainable, quality choices in the main food groups. If you’re amongst the consumers who are concerned about making sustainable choices, the foodie guide touches on common myths surrounding food sustainability and gives advice on how to make smart food choices when it comes to sourcing sustainable fish, veg, dairy and meat.

When it comes to fish, there’s no such thing as a sustainable species

With the issue of ocean pollution reaching alarming levels, and reports from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that a third of global fish stocks are either depleted or being overfished, sourcing fish in a sustainable manner is more important than ever.

Although UK consumption is based around five main fish species (salmon, prawns, tuna, cod and haddock), MSC advises there’s no need to avoid ‘The Big 5’, so long as they are certified sustainable and consumers look for products with the MSC Blue Fish label: ‘This means it comes from fishers that have been independently certified to the MSC’s scientific standard for environmentally sustainable fishing.’

When it comes to seafood, ‘it’s a myth that we have to avoid popular species’, MSC advises when discussing which options are the most sustainable: ‘There is no such thing as a sustainable species – it depends how and where it is caught. Mussels from Scotland and Wales have been rigorously checked by scientists and have been reviewed by independent auditors on behalf of the MSC.’

To help us make an informed decision, Seafood Scotland (leading authority in the seafood industry) advises consumers to ask their local fishmonger questions about fish provenance and seasonality.

Read more tips on choosing sustainable fish here: https://www.leisurecooker.co.uk/inspiration/the-foodie-guide/the-fish-lover-guide

Local and seasonal fruit and veg is best, but there’s a catch

As an essential part of a healthy diet, fruit and veg are available in a wide variety in UK supermarkets, which might make it tough for consumers to make informed, sustainable choices. Considering this, The Soil Association, UK’s largest organic certification body, and two of UK’s most popular fruit and veg box brands, Riverford and The Organic Pantry, shared their insights on how to buy good quality, sustainable food.

Buying local is the most sensible approach in most cases, but there are exceptions: ‘Fruit and veg we eat all year round such as tomatoes are often going to be air freighted or grown in heated greenhouses. We extend the growing season slightly using polytunnels but don’t use artificial heat or light, and focus on growing for flavour’, states popular veg box brand, Riverford. From an environmentalist point of view, they caution consumers to think about all the aspects involved in the ‘farm to fork’ journey: ‘The huge amounts of heat used in glass hothouses is produced by burning gas or oil. For every kilo of tomatoes grown in this way, 2-3 kilos of CO2 are released into the atmosphere. When we can’t grow tomatoes at home without heat, we truck them over from Spain. This uses just a tenth of the carbon compared with growing them in the UK using heat.’

While seasonal, local produce is the main aspect that impacts sustainable fruit and veg choices, consumers are encouraged to look carefully at labels and packaging. This involves getting advice not only on where food comes from, but also if it’s been grown in an environmentally responsible way.

Read more tips on choosing sustainable fruit and veg here: https://www.leisurecooker.co.uk/inspiration/the-foodie-guide/the-veg-lover-guide

When it comes to meat and dairy, information on where your food comes from is key

With the UK dairy industry having made significant progress towards more sustainable practices^[1], tracing the source of your food products should be highest on the list of priorities. The Dorset Dairy Co reveals that this might prove tricky for UK consumers: ‘A lot of yoghurt sold in the UK is made with milk from Europe’. The local dairy producer encourages dairy enthusiasts to ‘check the packaging and company’s website to find the source of the milk used’.

When discussing sustainable meat options, local food marketplace Big Barn mentions a range of less popular types of meat such as goat and game as an alternative for conscious carnivores: ‘Goat’s milk and cheese is already popular […] if you’re already a fan of feta this currently underrated meat could be one for you.’ To make sure this comes from sustainable sources, ask your local butcher or dedicated butchery in a supermarket how the meat was raised.

For more advice on how to ensure you make sustainable and quality food choices, visit: https://www.leisurecooker.co.uk/inspiration/the-foodie-guide/guide-to-sustainable-cooking