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Sustainable Eating

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For Scotland to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045, we must all start to take responsibility and act now. By making small changes to our everyday living we will all help make a difference over time.

Start by taking practical steps to eat more sustainably, reduce food waste, eat more seasonal and locally grown produce – these steps will all help reduce carbon emissions and save our planet.

Below are some ideas and tips to help get you started.

Eat More Sustainably

Making more sustainable food choices is not only good for your health but it’s good for the planet too.

Eat less red meat

  • Have some meat free days – Visit Meat Free Mondays to see how to get started.
  • Reduce the portions of meat you serve especially beef and lamb.
  • In meat dishes such as chilli or shepherds pie – replacing half of the meat in the recipe with beans, lentils or soya mince.

Eat more plant based foods

  • Add beans, lentils or nuts to dishes and gradually reduce the amount of meat in dishes.
  • Try a vegetable or sweet potato curry or beany, lentil chilli for a change.
  • Fill your plate with fresh, seasonal vegetables or salads.
  • Pot for plenty vegetables as a pizza topping instead of the Meat Feast.

Consume less high fat dairy products

  • Choose lower fat and sugar dairy options – such as semi skimmed or skimmed milk, sugar free yogurts.
  • If you choose to use a plant–based alternative milk such as soya, oat or almond milk – make sure it is fortified with added calcium and iodine.
  • Use tomato based sauces on pasta instead of creamy ones.

Eat higher fibre wholegrains

  • Wholegrains are nutritious and full of fibre that can help us feel fuller for longer.
  • Choose high fibre, wholemeal, seeded or granary rolls or bread.
  • Start your day with a high fibre, wholegrain breakfast cereal such as porridge oats or bran flakes, topped with some chopped fruit.

Visit British Dietetic Associations – Meals Swaps for further ideas of simple meals swaps you could try, to make your meals more sustainable.

Reduce Food Waste

We all need to start thinking about how we can reduce the amount of food we throw away. By planning meals, shopping smarter and storing foods appropriately this will not only help reduce food waste, but will save you money, reduce your carbon footprint and help you do your bit to tackle climate change.

By just making a few small changes every day could help reduce the amount of food you throw away.

  • Check what food you have in your cupboards, fridge and freezer before you go shopping and write a list of the foods you need and stick to it.
  • Write a meal plan – that details what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a few days or a week – To help get you started download our free Shopping List / Meal Planner Template.
  • When you are shopping – check the dates – make sure you opt for the furthest away dates. Avoid buying foods with fast approaching use-by dates unless you know you’re going to eat it or freeze it.
  • It’s a good idea to freeze sliced bread, rolls and chopped vegetables and take out what you need, when you need it.
  • Plan out the portions you need and if you cook too much use the leftovers as quick lunch or snacks the next day, or freeze to eat at a later date.
  • Shopping online is a great way to help you stick to your shopping list and meal plan – you may be less tempted to buy on impulse.
  • The British Dietetic Association have produced some Smart Supermarket Shopping tips.

It’s also important that we dispose or recycle any food that we are throwing away – Read more about Recycling Food Waste or How to compost at home.

Further Information and Resources – Reduce Food Waste

Eat Foods that are in Season

Choose to buy and eat fresh produce that’s in season it can taste better, can be more affordable and it’s better for the environment.

  • Choose local and seasonal produce. To find out what’s in season – Download the Seasonal Calendar
  • Remember tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables – also count towards your 5 a day.
  • Avoid chopped or pre-prepared and packaged fresh fruit vegetables and salads.

Further Information and Resources – Eat Seasonal Produce

Buy Local Produce

Choose to buy and eat fresh produce that’s grown locally it’s better for the local economy and it can taste better and can last longer.

  • Avoid buying fruit and vegetables that have been flown in from different countries.

Visit Farm Shop to help you find local Farm Shops and Farmers Markets near you.

Further Information and Resources – Where Food Comes From?

Grow Your Own

Buying local produce is great for the planet but it’s even better still to grow your own produce.

Forth Valley Food Futures

Forth Valley Food Futures is the home of the region’s cross-sector Food Partnerships working together to transform our food systems to positively benefit wellbeing, health, economic development and to protect nature and the environment.

3 Forth Valley Food Partnerships

These three partnerships are all members or are in the process of becoming members of the Sustainable Food Places Network.

Further Information, Resources and Links

Visit our Campaigns web page to see some of the organisations that support sustainable eating by delivering national campaigns eg Sustainable Cities, British Dietetic Association’s Sustainable September, Food Waste Action Week, Peas Please, Meat Free Monday, Veg Power etc.

Did You Know?

Each year, UK households throw away 4.5 million tonnes of food that could be eaten. If everyone stopped throwing away food for just one day in the UK, it’d do the same for greenhouse gas emissions as taking 14,000 cars off the road for a full year.

Love Food Hate Waste

Households caused 70% of the UK’s food waste, throwing away 6.6 million tonnes of food, of which 4.5 million tonnes was edible. That amount of edible food was enough to create an additional 10.5 billion meals.

WRAP

In Scotland we send over a million tonnes of biodegradable waste to landfill each year. Two thirds of food waste in Scotland comes from households. It’s clear that we can do things differently. For example, if we stopped all avoidable household food waste, the environmental impact would be the equivalent of taking almost one in five cars off Scotland’s roads.

Net Zero Nation Scotland

Around a third of the food we produce is wasted worldwide each year – that’s 1.3 billion tonnes of food that’s never eaten and thrown away.

Net Zero Nation Scotland

Food waste alone generates about 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Net Zero Nation Scotland
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