1. Support local producers & buy in-season produce.
2. Practice food gratitude. Be thankful for what you have & make the best use of it. Shop, prepare & eat mindfully.
3. Support the local businesses around you who are shifting toward sustainability.
4. Buy imperfect food! Give wonky food a second chance, they are often cheaper as well!
5. Look after your food. Care for it by storing it properly & be thoughtful about the quantities you purchase. Try to utilise as much of your food as possible & make the most of your scraps by reusing, eg - vege & bone scraps make a wonderful broth!
6. Purchase produce that is free of plastic & other packaging. Plastic doesn’t allow produce to breathe, causing it to spoil faster. Think of those pre-made salads in the plastic bag which often look mushy after a few days.
7. Buy items loose. Your oranges, lemons & bananas all have their own compostable packaging, (which is so much more fragrant & beautiful than any plastic bag!), & apples & nectarines will get a wash when you get them home anyway. Pop them loose onto the scales at the checkout, & then into your reusable bag or a box.
8. When buying meat, consider buying a whole animal to be butchered & divided amongst a few families- this gives you peace of mind that you know where your meat is coming from, & that the different cuts in your freezer came from the loss of only one animal’s life, rather than from potentially many animals.
9. Look for free range or organic options in your poultry, pork, dairy & egg products. Intensive agricultural practices are contributing to the ecological degradation of our planet through extensive land clearing & loss of bio-diversity, fertiliser & manure pollution & loss of insect numbers, especially bees, due to insecticide use .
10. While organic & free range agricultural products are often more expensive, they are of a better quality & are ethically produced. Eating less of these higher quality products means you can still afford to enjoy them while supporting a more sustainable & ethical industry.

PLUS

Ask for what you want! Stores want to keep their customers happy & coming back happy so the more people that ask for package free, or bring their own containers, the greater the need will be to accept & change!

Image via canva