The simple way to eat ethical, sustainable food

Food production and distribution can have a huge impact on our environment. Livestock farming is recorded as using up one third of the world’s freshwater reserves and the year-round pursuit of large scale, cheap crop yields results in a huge carbon footprint.

With all this confusion, how can we responsibly consume foods that are both tasty and good for us?

Ethical eating benefits the lives of farmed animals, your family’s health, the ecosystem and the local economy.

With financial strain, the spread of infections, increased use of chemical fertilizers and the development of genetically modified foods, the agricultural industry has suffered much in recent years.

Being attentive to what you are eating and buying is the first step to both benefiting your health and helping ethical farmers get back on track.

The Royal Horticultural Society offers plenty of hints and tips on how to grow your own, and there really is a crop for every weather.

Root vegetables are a good start for winter and can be grown just as well in soil-filled sacks on the balcony as they can in a veg patch on the lawn.

Planting, nurturing and harvesting vegetables is not only good for the pantry but it can be educational and great fun for little ones in the family too. 

To supplement your home crops—or if growing your own is impossible—keep the time of year in mind with the BBC seasonality calendar.

Fruit and vegetables that are in season can save you some money and will ensure that only the best tasting specimens reach your dinner plate.

Search online for you local grocer or farmer’s market and embrace the delicious irregular shapes and sizes that nature intended.

Market-sized meat portions produced in reduced time scale only benefit those who are reaping the profits.

Reduce the frequency and size of your meat intake and think about replacing some meat with the huge variety of seafood available at your local or online fishmonger.

For celebratory occasions or the weekly roast opt for high-quality, local and ethically farmed meats to make you omnivore lifestyle more beneficial to everyone's health.