All opinions are mine and mine alone.
Caring for the environment should be a priority for all of us, especially as are living in an age of climate chaos.We can use our cars less, recycle often, and use chemical-free cleaning products when we’re doing our chores at home. We can also take steps to go green when grocery shopping.
Here are a few suggestions for a more eco-friendly grocery shop.
Find out where your food is coming from
There will be many products on the shelves in your local store but do you know where they come from? Do you know who the suppliers are? It’s worth finding out as by doing so, you will be able to make a more informed choice about what to buy. Some supermarkets will proudly let you know their food products have been sourced sustainably or that their foods have been organically grown. If so, choose these over other foods as you will know that you are taking the greener option. It’s also important to remember that, where your health is concerned, there are benefits to eating organic foods. This is another reason to take this option when at the store.
Before you buy, you might also need to do a little research, perhaps by reading food packets or by visiting the retailer’s website. Look out for those brands that have a reputation for being sustainable, such as Superior Farms who are a leading supplier of lamb to grocery stores. You aren’t only looking for products that have been sourced from environmentally friendly companies, of course. While this is important, you should also consider the locality of such firms. Food can travel a long way to get to your local store, which is hardly good for the environment when you consider transport emissions. For this reason, look for those foods that have been grown locally.
Avoid food waste
Food waste is harmful to the environment so you shouldn’t buy more food than you need. Especially when these foods are perishable, you might be forced to throw them away if you don’t get time to eat them.
Before going to the supermarket, create a meal plan and arm yourself with a list of the ingredients you need to buy. This way, you will be less likely to buy foods that you won’t have a chance of eating. Check dates on packets too, being careful not to buy foods that are about to become out of date, especially if you don’t intend to eat them immediately. Should you ever be in a position where you do have too much food, don’t simply throw it away. Create meals and freeze them or donate food items to good causes, such as your local homeless shelter.
Use reusable shopping bags
To avoid the problems related to plastic waste, use a reusable shopping bag when you go to the store. This way, you won’t need to bring home more plastic carrier bags, especially if your cupboard space is already full of them. Heavy-duty shopping bags are better than plastic alternatives, as they don’t break so easily, meaning there is less need to discard them.
There is more you can do to green, above and beyond the ideas we have listed here. Continue to browse our site for more information related to the environment and look online for other suggestions for greener grocery shopping.
Speak Your Mind