Learning Resources
Food production and consumption contributes to nearly a third of our total greenhouse gas emissions. By imporving our diets to eat more fresh and nutritious food we will reduce our reliance on processed, highly packaged and unhealthy food
Grow your own
Growing your own fruit and vegetables has so many benefits:
- People who participate in community gardening eat double the ammount of fruit and vegetables than those who do not
- Contact with nature has been shown to reduce stress, improve attention and wellbeing
Eating with the seasons
90% of our fruit and 50% of our vegetables are imported.
Eating foods that are produced in the UK at specific times of the year is called eating seasonally, for example eating tomatoes and strawberries in the summertime, apples in autumn and parsnips, turnips and other root veg in the Winter. Eating seasonally reduces greenhouse emissions from air-freighted and energy intensive hot-housing (heated greenhouses, as well as saving you cash and giving tastier fruit and vegetables.
Eatng seasonally can save you up to 10% of your food bill
Reducing food waste
Although old food can be composted, wasting food is inefficient, a massive 30-50% of all our food produced is wasted. We are not only wasting precious food, we are also wating the resources (energy, fuel, time and water) that have been used to grow the food. Wasting this amount of food costs the average houshold £480 per year, rising to £680 for a family with children!
Use biodegradable (can be broken down) packaging
Some packing serves a valid purpose and without it we would waste alot more food because it is likely to lead to lots more food spoilage.
Try to recycle you plastic bags and use corn starch tubs which can be composted.
Eat more fruit and vegetables
Eating more fruit and veg helps us get enough vitamins and minerals aswell as fibre. Eating a minimum of 5 A Day will lower the risk of of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity but unfortunately only one in five of us are eating the rcommended number of portions.
By eating more fruit and vegetables is is likely that you will eat less calories and saturated fat
Eat less red meat
Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer in Manchester and saturated fat found in red meat is a large contributory factor, along with this 46% of our carbon footprint comes from eating meat and meat products. Adding a meatless meal to your weekly menu is not only beneficial to your health and the envronment but can save you money. Food prices have gone up by 18% over the last 4 years.
Cooking from scratch
As with other areas of the country Manchester has seen more people skipping breakfast, a rise in the consumption of nutrient poor ready meals, a rise in the use of take-aways and a reduction in ‘cooking from scratch. Imrpoving your knowledge about healthy diets and being able to cook a meal using basic ingredients will be beneficial to the environment and your health
Resources
Natural England ponds – havens for wildlife
Role Food plays on environment
The story of food
Grafting facts sheet
Facts about food waste
