Sustainable Food Habit Tips

Try out our food tips

Sustainability is a multifaceted issue. Adopting more sustainable food habits is one of the helpful changes to make.

Some may find adopting a more sustainable diet daunting. We are here to help. There are many ways to discover and practice a more sustainable diet.
Increasing awareness around the environmental impact of our food is the first step each of us can take. Step by step, meal after meal, we can tackle the different levers of sustainable consumption as outlined on this page.
Browse through, pick one you fancy most and start changing your food habits.

(Click the button and go to the relevant section.)

Eat less red meat

Reduce food waste

Eat plant-based

Eat less meat and fish

Consumer less dairy

Explore the food story

The problem with red meat

Red meat comprises meat produced from ruminant animals such as beef, lamb, goat and sheep. When these digest feed, they burp/fart methane. Methane is a super pollutant, with 85 times higher warming potential than CO2.

The 1 billion cattle worldwide also cause a lot of land use for their feed and for grazing, and use a lot of water. Replacing red meat with white meat or fish is good, relying on nuts, legumes and veggies is even better.

Environmental impact of eating less red meat

A kilo of red meat causes 60 kg of CO2 emissions. Same amount of poultry or pic only produce 6-7 kg of CO2 emissions.

Anchor 1

EAT LESS MEAT
TIPS

Familiarise yourself with recipes that do not contain any red meat.

Prioritise quality meat from your region instead of industrial produced and imported red meat.

Check out the Resources section of this website for more information and tips.

Watch the short clip "Why meat is the best worst thing in the world".

Replace your red meat with lower impact meat and fish.

What are the 5 dishes containing red meat you eat most often? Could the red meat ingredient be replaced?

Get a Flexitarian cooking book. Here is one we recommend.

Plan a meal with friends to try out cooking meatless meals!

The problem with food waste

A tremendous amount of the food produced is never eaten while nearly 1 billion people go to bed hungry every night.

A lot of land used for growing the ultimately wasted food has been deforested, releasing a lot of carbon emissions. Food that is never eaten accounts for a quarter of all freshwater consumption globally. Next to land and water resources such as labour and energy are wasted in the process of producing this food.

The food waste that then goes to landfill ends up decomposing without access to oxygen which creates methane. Methane contributes to 20% more to global warming than carbon dioxide does.

Environmental impact of food waste

33% of all food produced gets trashed before reaching our plates.

Anchor 2

WASTE LESS FOOD
TIPS

Familiarise yourself with all the parts of vegetables you normally throw out and check if they are edible.

Most food that passed the "best before date" is still completely edible.

Collect vegetable scraps in the freezer and turn them into a broth when enough has accumulated.

Check out these awesome apps to help you cut down food waste even more!

Watch this BBC documentary series "The Big Food Rescue" on the impact of food waste.

Keep an overview of your fridge and pantry to avoid buying things you already have.

Learn how to store fruit and veggies so they stay fresh longer.

Cook a meal only using up as much leftovers as possible.

Avoid food waste by making use of your own reusable food container.

Plan your meals to only buy what you'll be eating.

THE OPPORTUNITY OF A PLANT-BASED DIET

When land is used to raise animals instead of crops, precious water and soil is lost, trees are cut down to make land for grazing or factory-farm sheds, and untreated animal waste pollutes rivers and streams. All of this results in more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation industry.

Eating less meat also has various health related benefits such as reducing risk of heart diseases, curbing obesity, and limiting cancer risks.

Environmental impact of a plant based diet

50% of your emissions can be reduced by a plant-based diet.

Anchor 3

A PLANT BASED DIET
TIPS

Familiarise yourself with plant based recipes you can prepare on the fly.

Have a play with plant-based milks. You might only like oat milk in your coffee, but only coconut yoghurt.

When you are hungry, eat nuts. Also, remember that you can still eat dark chocolate, drink coffee and beer.

Check out the Resources section of this website for more information and tips.

Think of this as exploring a new cuisine. Write a list of things you want to try. Just try again if you didn't like it.

Eat a plant-based meal at a phenomenal non-vegan restaurant. Great chefs make great food - meat or not.

Feel like eating some junk food? There is plenty of great plant-based junk to go for!

Go for variety! It's never good to eat the same food over and over, whether it's meat or plants.

The problem with meat and fish

Environmental impact of meat and fish

18% of greenhouse gasses originate from the meat industry.

Anchor 4

Meat and Fish
TIPS

Familiarise yourself with plant based recipes you can prepare on the fly.

Replace your meat and fish with other protein sources such as beans and legumes.

Make a list of plat-based products you want to try. Check out that aisle at your local supermarket.

Put less meat into your meals. 10% of the bacon can add 100% of the flavour.

Ask yourself after every meal: Did this contain meat? You'll be surprised how often it's hidden.

Check out the Resources section of this website for more information and tips.

Learn all about meat and fish substitutes.

Prioritise quality meat from your region instead of industrial produced and imported meat.

Inspire yourself by following the meat-free Monday movement.

What are the 5 dishes you eat most often? Could that curry or the pizza be vegetarian?

Get a Flexitarian cooking book. Here is one we recommend.

Watch the short clip "Why meat is the best worst thing in the world".

The problem with dairy products

Apart from eggs, all dairy comes from ruminant animals (beef, goat, sheep etc). Ruminant animals emit methane, use lots of land (causing deforestation), lots of water etc. Eggs are better than dairy in terms of CO2, but still have nearly 2x more CO2 emissions than white meat (per gram of protein)

Environmental impact

Cheese and milk protein cause 3 times the amount of CO2-emissions per gram of cheese and milk protein compared to that of white meat.

Anchor 5

Consume less dairy
TIPS

Start by choosing one dairy category such as yoghurt, milk or cheese and begin reducing and replacing it.

Try out eating more asian food, as it often doesn't contain any dairy.

Check out the Knowledge section of this website for more information and tips.

Have a play with plant-based milks. You might only like oat milk in your coffee, but only coconut yoghurt.

Think of this as exploring a new cuisine. Write a list of things you want to try. Just try again if you didn't like it.

Food stories - the forgotten opportunity

The story behind your food has a big impact on its emissions. How it was farmed has a big impact (no tilling, keeping ground covered, rotating crops) is important, but tough to find out about as a consumer.
Transport by ship and truck is usually just a minimal part of a food's emissions, but if flown in emissions are substantial.
Local food produced in a greenhouse often causes emissions due to the heating and lighting. Organic has health-benefits but does not impact emissions a lot, may even increase emissions.
Because there are no simple answers here, it is useful to start to learn more about the story behind your food and make your own choices!