Eating and Drinking

Lesson 3

Eating and Drinking

Producing, transporting and consuming food is responsible for nearly a fifth of our climate change effects. Some foods have a much bigger impact on the environment than others.

Look for the labelsLook for the labels to help you choose food that has been produced with the aim of reducing the negative impact on wildlife and the environment

Buy fresh and in seasonBuying food and drink when locally in season, and unprocessed or lightly processed food, is likely to mean that less energy has been used in its production. Providing it has been produced and stored under similar conditions, choosing food that has travelled a shorter distance will help to reduce congestion and transport emissions.

Reduce your food wasteThe average UK household spends £424 a year on food that goes in the bin - if this ends up in landfill it produces methane, a greenhouse gas judged to be more than 20 times as powerful as carbon dioxide. Throwing less food away produces less methane and reduces other harmful environmental impacts from producing, packaging and transporting food.