Food & Drink

Food production is responsible for a large proportion (around 17.5%) of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions come from a variety of sources including agriculture, fertiliser, freight, retail, catering, processing and packaging.

There are a number of ways you can reduce the environmental impact of the food you consume.

How far does your food travel from field to plate? This is important because the transport methods used to freight food result in greenhouse gas emissions. Air freight is the most polluting, followed by road then sea. By buying locally produced food you can reduce the emissions associated with transporting your food.

Seasonal food often tastes better and requires fewer inputs to grow successfully. Food that’s out of season will have been imported or grown in heated greenhouses or other artificial environments. The additional food miles or energy required to produce out-of-season food significantly increases its associated greenhouse gas emissions. Buying locally produced seasonal food reduces emissions and supports the local economy.

In organic farming the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and genetically modified seeds is banned or heavily restricted. Organic farms use biological, cultural and integrated management to ensure successful harvests with methods including bi-cropping and beneficial insect use. These control methods are less environmentally damaging than the use of synthetic pesticides, and organic farms are often more biodiverse than conventional farms.

Meat and dairy production is responsible for a large proportion of the emissions associated with food. This is due to a variety of factors including inefficient conversion of energy and enteric fermentation in the stomach of ruminant animals. The increased global demand for meat is also having a considerable impact on the environment.

A study by Greenpeace found that 80% of the deforestation occurring in the Amazon is a result of land being cleared and converted to pasture.

All Ice Food & Drink partners are carefully selected for their environmental commitments. Livestock has been responsibly reared and the farms all take steps to limit their environmental impact. All the food products are local and /or traceable, and this restricts related greenhouse gas emissions and ensures that no deforestation has occurred as a result of the production of the meat.

Growing some of your own fruit and vegetables to help supplement your food shopping can help to reduce your carbon footprint, save you money and provide satisfying fun for all the family. You may have a small patch in your garden suitable for vegetable. If not you could consider propogating herbs on your windowsill or reserving an allotment. You could also look into Channel 4’s Land Share scheme landshare.channel4.com.

The Royal Horticultural website is another excellent source of information on allotments and growing your own vegetables. It provides useful tips for both beginners and experts.

Current global fishing practices are often unsustainable and damaging to the marine environment. Unregulated and poorly managed fishing practices have caused large-scale marine environment degradation. Fish stocks throughout the world are dropping alarmingly, not helped by poorly enforced fishing laws and the reluctance of many countries to limit fishing fleets.

A number of organisations have formed to help raise consumer awareness about sustainable fish. When shopping for sustainable fish a useful tool is the MCS (Marine Conservation Society) sustainable fish pocket guide available here.

All fish products supplied by Ice partners are sustainably sourced.

To find out more about the problems associated with modern fishing and to learn more about how fishing can be made more sustainable, visit The “End of The Line".

January: The month’s best - carrot, kale. In season - cauliflower, cabbage spring green, cabbage savoy, brussel sprouts, leeks.

Febuary: The month’s best - leek, cabbage savoy. In season - brussel sprouts, carrot, cauliflower, cabbage spring green, kale.

March: The month’s best - cabbage spring green. In season - cauliflower, leeks, cabbage savoy, kale.

April: The month’s best – cauliflower. In season - cabbage spring green, cucumber, kale.

May: The month’s best - rhubarb, asparagus. In season - cauliflower, cucumber, cabbage spring green, spinach.

June: The month’s best - peas, broad beans, strawberries. In season - rhubarb, courgette, asparagus, spinach, carrot, cucumber, cabbage spring green.

July: The month’s best - cucumber, curly lettuce, cherries. In season - celery, apple bramley, spinach, rhubarb, raspberries, courgette, runner beans, broad beans, carrot, iceburg lettuce, cos lettuce, blueberries, cauliflower, strawberries, peas.

August: The month’s best - lettuce cos, raspberries, plums. In season - blueberries, celery, cauliflower, courgette, cucumber, strawberries, runner beans, carrots, peas, iceburg lettuce, broad beans, marrow, apple bramely, spinach, sweetcorn, curly lettuce, cabbage spring green, cabbage savoy, cabbage red.

September: The month’s best - courgette, blackberries, runner beans. In season - red cabbage, marrow, blueberries, brussel sprouts, white cabbage, sweetcorn, butternut squash, cabbage savoy, carrot, cabbage spring green, cauliflower, cucumber, iceburg lettuce, kale, plumbs, bramley apples, peas, spinach, leeks celery.

October: The month’s best - sweetcorn, cox apples. In season - white cabbage, butternut squash, red cabbage, kale, cabbage savoy, potatoes, runner beans, brussel sprouts, cabbage spring green, leeks, spinach, marrow, carrot, celery, peas, cauliflower.

November: The month’s best - potatoes, red cabbage. In season - white cabbage, kale, cabbage savoy, leeks, brussel sprouts, cabbage spring green, carrot.

December: The month’s best - brussel sprouts, white cabbage, in season - cabbage savoy, kale, cabbage spring green, leeks, cauliflower, carrot, potatoes.

Why not download this calendar produced by Eat Seasonably, print it off, and stick it on your fridge.