If you consider that around 25% of global carbon emissions come from food and agriculture it’s an area where we can have considerable impact on our planet… and on our own health too. But there are so many factors to consider when you start a conversation about the food we buy, from our dietary needs, cooking skills and the time we have, through to cost, environmental impact and animal welfare.
We delved deep into the sometimes daunting world of food at our latest Transitions Street meeting and got stuck into some vital conversations about how we nourish ourselves and our planet.
One of the most compelling aspects of the Transition Streets program has been the unveiling of eye-opening facts and figures that have genuinely shifted my perspective. While my own research often leads me down rabbit holes, the program provides readily accessible data that challenges many of our assumptions. Take, for instance, the common belief that we’re spending a larger proportion of our income on food than previous generations, especially with the relentless rise in prices we’re currently experiencing. It feels intuitively true, doesn’t it? Yet, the data presented through Transition Streets suggests that this isn’t necessarily the case.
In real terms we spend less on food than in 1957 when 33% of household incomes was spent nourishing ourselves. In 2020 this figure was 15%. Today that figure has increased with the rising costs that impact the food chain – business rates, energy, fuel etc. but I doubt it’s back up to 33%. There’s also been a significant impact on our farming community when you look back to around 50 years ago. UK farmers received around 60% of the money that consumers spent on food, nowadays, with the power the supermarkets have on our supply chains, that’s around 7%. No wonder so many farmers are withdrawing from farming.
But how do we get back to a strong local food system? Why would we want to? Well local jobs support our local economy but it’s also about being less exposed to global price fluctuations. Local, seasonal food is also healthier for us of course.
It’s this kind of insightful, evidence-based information that truly empowers us to understand the bigger picture and make more informed choices.
But let’s get down to the specifics our group discussed and importantly any outcomes and changes we felt we could make.
Waste Not, Want Not: The Scandal of Food Waste
First up, the elephant in the (overflowing) room: food waste. It’s staggering to think about how much perfectly good food ends up in the bin. When you learn that the average UK household could save £720 a year just through food waste, it’s definitely something to spend some time on.
We shared some personal confessions – who hasn’t found a forgotten bag of spinach languishing in the fridge? – but more importantly, we brainstormed practical solutions. From better meal planning and understanding “best before” vs. “use by” dates, to composting. Creative ways to use leftovers, was something we all actually revelled in – looking at what’s leftover in our fridges and creating a new meal from them. Mostly these were successful! Utilising your freezer kicks in well here. Freeze left overs and when you have enough for your family, decide to have a ‘leftovers’ night where everyone gets to choose a different meal.
One of our group was VERY organised and her fridge was stacked neatly prioritising what needed eating first. Good tip if you have teenagers in the house that tend to open the fridge and pick out what’s in the front! I’ve found having two smaller online shops in the week means I write a menu list for 3 – 4 days and even if lunch out happens unexpectedly, the food won’t go to waste. I order less and therefore have less waste. By paying a 6 monthly delivery subscription and picking ‘green’ delivery slots, hopefully that and the less food waste all balance out positively for the environment.
All of our group composted in some shape or form, some more seriously than others – hotbins are a favourite way as they are full enclosed and deter rodents. Our neighbour with chickens reminded us that most ‘green’ vegetable scraps were very welcome, though they like their courgettes sautéed! We are lucky enough to have good curb recycling in the Three Rivers district, with a food pod emptied every week and an annual call from them to come and fill two of your own bags with the resulting compost.
Keeping it Local and Loving the Seasons
Interesting that I have put these two together! Read on you will see why.
Whilst we all savoured the idea of buying local and seasonal produce, the practicalities of that where we live are not ideal. We do have some pick your own fruit farms locally – biting into just picked juicy strawberries that haven’t travelled halfway around the world is a summer treat! We talked about the benefits – supporting local farmers, reducing food miles (and therefore carbon emissions), and enjoying food at its absolute freshest and most flavourful. But where to get that from? We have a small Farmers market once a month, that is a couple of train stops away in Little Chalfont, which we all took an action to try and the recently opened Woodoaks Farm sells organic produce, we weren’t sure what or how much but the intention is to check that out.
The conversation turned to Crowd Farming. This is where you bulk buy produce – mainly fruit, vegetables, dairy, and even some beverages, like Green Tea and Apricot Nectar and lots of organic produce. Now it is mainly European countries but the point is you are buying direct from the farmers, giving them the power to set the prices so they can make a decent living. We are experimenting with this and have just ordered a 4 kg box of organic avocado’s from Spain to share between us. Here we are collecting them!
Not local but less produce ‘miles’ than buying from the shops where many of our avocados are from Peru. Will keep you posted on the results, the avocado’s were really good, blueberries have been ordered next.
Tangible steps towards putting our intentions into action.
The Big Question: Meat, Dairy, and Our Planet
The conversation then turned to the often-sensitive topic of meat and dairy consumption and their environmental impact. We looked at the data – the land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with animal agriculture. With meat and dairy only accounting for 18% of our food calories and about a third of our protein, it occupies the vast majority of our farmland – it’s just not the right balance of benefits for our planet. Beef takes up to 20 times more land to produce than some plant-based proteins and therefore 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram.
It wasn’t about judgment, but about understanding the science and exploring ways to reduce our impact. With one vegetarian household in the group, and my allergies to nuts, soy and pulses, it sparked some really thoughtful discussions and a willingness to explore alternatives. Most of us were already opting for more plant-based meals in the week and the pro’s and cons of ‘Quorn’ products, dairy-free milk and cheese were hot topics.
The Packaging Puzzle: Less is More
Ah, packaging! The bane of many eco-conscious shoppers. We lamented the mountains of plastic and the challenges of recycling. But we also celebrated small victories. In our group many of us used Riverford or Oddbox deliveries, reducing food packaging considerably. But still, we felt this industry still has plenty of room for improvement. There are definitely alternatives to food packaging – Natoora brand was mentioned for their alternative to plastic in their packaging but we struggled for others.
We all tried to support businesses that prioritise minimal and sustainable packaging as every little bit counts, and collective pressure on businesses can lead to real change. But how to put that pressure on? And to whom? With the recent failure of the plastics treaty, we decided we can only do what we can do but that its still worth it!
Getting Our Hands Dirty: The Joy of Growing Your Own
Then came the truly inspiring part: growing our own! Even a small windowsill herb garden or a few tomato plants on a balcony can bring so much joy and deliciousness! One thing I love is being able to share the inevitable gluts of cucumbers or tomatoes with my neighbours! We shared tips and tricks, from battling slugs to celebrating the first ripe fruit. From growing potatoes in bags on the balcony, to courgettes in pots, we were all trying something, even with our relatively small gardens.
The idea of connecting directly with our food, understanding the effort that goes into it, is incredibly powerful.
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Organic: Worth the Extra Pennies?
We also discussed the benefits of organic food – the avoidance of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers particularly for the effect on our pollinators and insects, the potential for higher nutrient content, and the support for more sustainable farming practices. While acknowledging that organic can sometimes be more expensive, we explored ways to make it more accessible and spoke about how we have to pick and choose – but quality of what we are ingesting was uppermost to all of us. This included meat and poultry where we were particularly aware of eating grass fed meat wherever possible. Hopefully the farmers market and buying in bulk and sharing in our group will keep the costs affordable.
Sprouting Ideas: Transition Street Food Projects
This vibrant discussion naturally led to some exciting project ideas, prompted by the Transition Streeets notes for our session, here’s just a few of them:
- Incredible Edible : Imagine our drab grass verges and unloved shrubbery transformed into a communal feast! Think fruit trees and bushes, herbs, and even vegetables that anyone can pick and enjoy. We do have a Chorleywood community garden but there are lots of green verges that end up with the odd tree, long grass and essentially weeds. Wouldn’t it be incredible to create a shared abundance and beautify our neighbourhood at the same time – would love to see this happen. Action is working out how to do that, who to speak to and if it’s feasible.
- Sharing Our Bounty (and Our Green Spaces): For those with more garden than they need, or those longing for a patch of earth, a garden and allotment sharing scheme could be fantastic. It fosters community, reduces food miles, and ensures no potential growing space goes to waste. We are already sharing gluts of produce in the street – whether that’s vegetable seedlings or early rhubarb! We’ll continue to see how we can work together on this.
- Bulk Buy Bonanza: Imagine the savings (and reduced packaging!) if we organised a regular bulk-buying scheme for staples like rice, pasta, and pulses. We could pool our resources and access more affordable and sustainable options. We do have a super ‘refillable’ shop in Croxley Green that we should utilise more and we have already started with the Crowd Farmer avocado’s so will work on more.
The energy in the room was palpable. It’s clear that when we come together as a street, share our concerns and our ideas, we can create real, positive change. our Transition Street Food module left us feeling empowered and motivated to take those small, but significant, steps towards a more sustainable and still delicious future.