20% of the UK’s greenhouse gases are attributed to feeding the population.
We want to make it easier for people to make choices to reduce the environmental impact of food in the Tideswell & District area.
Making informed decisions about the food you eat can make a big difference to your carbon footprint and to other environmental issues, such as biodiversity and ecosystem health. Many people are also increasingly concerned about animal welfare and other ethical issues affecting the way food is produced, marketed and sold.
These web sites contain the latest research and evidence about reducing the environmental impact of our food choices – Eating Better and Ten Tips to Help You Eat More Sustainably from the WWF.
Things we've been doing ...
- We have been building a central resource highlighting all of the brilliant, independent places you can source sustainable food in the Tideswell area, which can be found here. This includes a map of local shops selling vegan, low or zero-waste, organic or locally produced food, as well as ways to shop locally online.
- Once the Covid19 restrictions are relaxed, we will host a Tideswell & District Seed Swap, making it easier to share our surplus seeds and source plants in the most local way possible. You can read more about the scheme, and join the mailing list here.
- We are investigating ways to help local traders provide more organic produce. Please complete our survey by following this link to indicate whether you would buy organic food if it was locally available.
Things you can do ...
- What you eat: one of the easiest things you can do to reduce the carbon impact of your food is to eat more plant-based food, and fewer animal products.
- Eat seasonally: Eating seasonal fruit and vegetables grown in the UK reduces the impact of food transportation and storage.
- Where your food comes from: Avoid food which is air-freighted. Easily perishable foods (usually soft fruits and salad items) grown outside the UK are often air-freighted to get them into shops as soon as possible, increasing their carbon footprint significantly.
- Food waste: plan carefully to avoid food waste. Food-sharing apps, such as Olio, allow you to share what you won’t eat.
- Consider buying organic food where possible. Organic food is better for our environment (see the information below).
- Buy produce from some of our great local and sustainable businesses.
Discover the local, sustainable produce that is right on your doorstep! We want to highlight all of the great, independent and local shops (in stores, restaurants and online) that sell sustainable produce. Click here for more information.
Why Buy Organic?
Wherever possible it is generally better for our environment to buy organic food. Organic means…
- No artificial pesticides or fertilisers
- The highest standards of animal welfare (better than free range!)
- No genetically modified (GM) ingredients or animal feeds
- No routine use of antibiotics
- Free from artificial preservatives and colours.
We would like to help expand the range of organic produce available locally. Speaking with local traders, it is often difficult for them to source both UK grown and organic products because they have to buy large quantities to make it economically viable. There is a wholesaler in Manchester, a cooperative called Organic North already supplying outlets in Buxton and could also deliver to Tideswell. We are asking people if they would commit to buying organic fruit and veg from local traders on a regular basis in order to make it work for them and for you.
Would you buy more organic produce? Please complete our survey by following this link . Your response will be anonymous.
