For lots of people, if there is one thing that springs to mind when talking about Christmas, it’s food. Whether tucking into chocolates and sweets, enjoying party nibbles with friends, chomping on festive desserts, or indulging in a huge roast dinner, we plan our Christmas dishes for weeks and months in advance.
Unfortunately, much of the food we love during the holiday leads to a lot of waste, whether through their packaging, from over-buying or eating too much meat. It doesn’t have to be like that though, as there are ways to enjoy more sustainable eating during the season.
Plan ahead
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recommends planning ahead, as this will help reduce the amount of food that is thrown away. It states that food production is “the biggest cause of tropical deforestation”, so let’s not add to it by letting the food spoil before we get to eat it.
Put uneaten food in boxes and either freeze it or have a day during the holiday where you just eat leftovers.
Ditch the meat
You can still enjoy your turkey dinner, but you can cut down on the amount of meat and poultry you eat over Christmas. The WWF reveals 10,000 tonnes of poultry ends up being thrown away every year, and a lot of this is likely to be after Christmas dinner.
Shop locally
Reduce the number of miles your dinner took to get to your table by shopping locally. Make sure you buy vegetables that have been farmed in the UK at least, as they are seasonal, have not undergone artificial ripening methods and did not travel overseas.
For more ethical online shopping in the UK, click here.
