Top 5 foods that are surprisingly bad for the planet
We know meat and dairy are the worst foods for the environment, but some others are slipping under the radar. Discover the top five unexpected foods with a negative impact on the planet – and their eco-friendly alternatives
It’s well established by now that meat and dairy products are bad for the environment – the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization says they’re responsible for 14.5% of all global greenhouse gases. But they aren’t the only foods causing ecological harm. Find out how your morning coffee or one of the most popular foods in the world – rice – could be damaging the environment, and their alternatives if you want to eat more sustainably. Problematic prawns What’s the impact on the environment? We love these little seafood staples; the WWF says we eat about 2lb of prawns per person, worldwide, every year. To keep up with demand, there’s been an explosion in tiger prawn and king prawn farms in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, India and Vietnam. The Marine Conservation Society says these farms often use illegal chemicals, including antibiotics, which pollute the local water; destroy mangroves that support many essential ecosystems and rely on fish pellets made from wild fish that are, in turn, depleting local fish stocks. Many of the boats catching the ‘trash fish’ used for these pellets have also been accused of human rights abuses, including slavery and human trafficking. If your prawns haven’t come from a fish farm, they may have been caught by a trawler. This is when a giant net is dragged across the seabed to catch prawns and langoustines for scampi – and anything else in its way, known as ‘by-catch’. The practice causes incredible harm to the marine ecosystem, and campaigners are currently calling on UK supermarkets to take greater responsibility for how and where the scampi they sell is caught. What’s the alternative? If you are going to eat prawns, the MCS says small Northern or coldwater prawns are the most sustainable option. Farmed prawns with an EU organic or Soil Association label are also a good bet. For scampi, look for creel-caught langoustine or Dublin Bay prawns – a creel is a type of pot or wicker basket. Seafood with a ‘blue tick’ from the Marine Stewardship Council was seen as the gold standard, but it has recently come under suspicion. Conservationists and campaigners say the MSC is certifying fisheries with unsustainable practices – like high levels of by-catch – while certifiers are also paid by the fisheries they assess. For a truly sustainable alternative, buy mussels instead. They’re rich in protein, help clear up the ocean, don’t need any extra feed and are often cheaper than prawns. And if they’re local and seasonal, that’s miles better for your carbon footprint, too. The trouble with rice What’s the impact on the environment? A report from Oxfam found more than half the world’s population rely on rice as their major source of calories, but growing rice uses around a third of the planet’s freshwater every year. The WWF says it takes between 3,000 and 5,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of rice, giving it a significant water footprint. The method used to produce rice – flooding paddy fields to prevent weeds growing – allows methane-producing microbes to flourish too. Rice cultivation actually creates 12% of all global methane emissions, so some farmers have adopted a different method that switches between flooding fields and letting them dry out. Unfortunately, scientists now believe intermittently flooded farms can release up to 45 times more nitrous oxide than continuously flooded fields; nitrous oxide is another harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) that can stay in the atmosphere for over 100 years. Rice is also a mono-crop: growing the same crop species in the same field year after year. This has an impact on soil health, depleting natural nutrients, and increases the risk of disease and pest outbreaks. Farmers then have to use more fertiliser and pesticides on their crops, which isn’t good for us or the environment. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2025/07/GettyImages-2222678301-3ac4bb1.jpg" width="594" height="393" alt="Young rice saplings are seen neatly planted in rows in a waterlogged paddy field during monsoon rains in Bhivpuri, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, on July 3, 2025. The southwest monsoon is vital for rice cultivation, providing essential water for millions of farmers across the country. (Photo by Indranil Aditya/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" title="Monsoon Fuels Rice Cultivation In Rural Maharashtra" /> What’s the alternative? Rice has a huge cultural (and caloric) significance for billions of people, so not eating it simply isn’t an option. So, the announcement that a new rice variant can slash methane emissions by 70% is really good news. The scientists behind the new crop are now testing it in different types of soil to see how sustainable it really is. A new farming method has also been created that means farmers can produce up to 50% more rice with less water. The System of Rice Intensification uses less fertiliser, less human labour and moist soil (rather than alternating between flooding and drying), to reduce its environmental impact. If you want to buy sustainably farmed rice, look for products verified by the Sustainable Rice Platform. These include brands such as Nice Rice, Riso Gallo and some of Lidl’s own varieties. Or go for substitutes like sushi rice grown in Spain or Italy that will have a lower carbon footprint than rice flown in from countries in Asia. Rather not rely on rice? You can mix up your diet – and avoid eating a mono-crop – by choosing alternatives like freekeh, teff, spelt and farro. Or go for lentils and pulses, like kidney beans and chickpeas, to broaden your nutrient intake. Ecological issues with asparagus What’s the impact on the environment? Peru is the largest asparagus producer in the world, exporting 75% of their crop around the globe. In 2023, the UK imported roughly 6 million kilograms of fresh and chilled asparagus from Peru, worth around £23.3million, making us their third largest importer behind the US and Spain. Research found asparagus has the greatest environmental impact of any of the fruit or vegetables we import. This is largely due to the food miles – asparagus is mainly air freighted to the UK – and its water footprint. In 2010 it was revealed industrial asparagus farms in the Ica Valley in Peru were depleting local water resources. Nearby villages found their wells drying up, while the water table in the valley was dropping by eight metres a year in some places. But things haven't improved over a decade later. Studies show the Ica Valley is still facing severe water shortages as a result of the ‘agro-export boom’, and local water resources are still being exported as ‘virtual water' in the asparagus. Plus, climate change will put even more pressure on Peru’s water supplies as their glaciers melt faster and the risk of drought increases. What’s the alternative? The simple answer is don’t buy asparagus from Peru. We don’t need to eat it year-round and cutting it out of your diet is one of the easiest ways to cut down your carbon footprint – importing 1kg of asparagus from Peru creates 11kgs of carbon dioxide, but UK asaparagus only produces 2.1kgs of CO2 per kg. Buy locally produced when it’s in season – from April to June in the UK – to enjoy the taste and the feeling you’re helping to reduce virtual water exports. Agricultural exporters often say their product is driven by consumer demand, so let’s try to reduce that demand. Unethical chocolate What’s the impact on the environment? The chocolate industry will be worth over $106 billion by 2027, but our love of the sweet stuff is having a huge negative impact on the planet. Scientists say cocoa farming is driving deforestation on the Ivory Coast and Ghana, where most of the world’s cocoa is produced – and 70% of this is illegal deforestation. Some of the other ingredients used in chocolate also have large carbon footprints. Dairy milk uses a lot of land and freshwater, and produces GHGs – mainly methane from cow burps – while palm oil is responsible for the loss of huge areas of rainforest in Southeast Asia. Cocoa cultivation is both causing and is a victim of climate change. Deforestation releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but as the planet warms, a lack of rainfall and higher temperatures damages cocoa trees, which forces farmers to find new areas to grow cocoa. And the cycle continues. Apart from environmental damage, cocoa production is known for several human rights abuses. Most cocoa farmers earn just 6% of the final value of a chocolate bar, while child labour, human trafficking and even slavery are common practices. What’s the alternative? Look for Fairtrade chocolate, which focuses on improving living and working standards for cocoa farmers, and choose ethical producers that only buy cocoa from sustainable sources. Organic chocolate and those that are palm-oil free are also good for your conscience and your tastebuds. Not sure where to start? We’ve done the hard work for you; read our round-up of the 10 most planet-friendly chocolate brands. Sticking to dark chocolate will reduce the environmental impact from dairy milk and it could be good for your health, too. Dark chocolate is rich in active plant compounds called flavanols that may help protect your heart, improve brain function and reduce your risk of chronic conditions like diabetes. Climate-changing coffee What’s the impact on the environment? Research shows producing just 1kg of coffee creates about 15kg of carbon dioxide, putting it second only to beef in terms of its carbon footprint – or about the same as Denmark’s annual emissions! Coffee’s GHG emissions mainly come from deforestation, farming – particularly the use of fertilisers – and transportation. Over the past 20 years, roughly 130,000 hectares of forest has been lost every year to coffee cultivation. A report by the WWF found land-use change (i.e. deforestation) contributed nearly half a cup of coffee’s total GHGs. Fertilisers used by coffee farmers release large amounts of nitrous oxide, while processing coffee cherries using the ‘wet’ method uses significantly more water than simply drying them in the sun. The green beans are then transported to another destination; transport makes up around 15% of the GHGs in coffee’s lifecycle. When you add in roasting, packaging and final transportation to shops and homes, it’s no surprise that coffee has such an enormous impact on the environment. And that’s before we even consider the cost on human lives, such as slavery, child labour or coffee farmers not earning enough to lift them out of poverty. What’s the alternative? Good news – you don’t have to give up your morning brew. Experts from University College London found sustainable coffee has a 77% lower carbon footprint than conventionally produced beans. Most of this reduction comes from using cargo ships rather than air freight, so find out how your coffee is transported. Buying organic coffee guarantees it doesn’t use chemical fertilisers or pesticides, but check to see if it’s also shade-grown. This agroforestry system plants coffee among taller trees that shade the coffee plants, help reduce temperatures – tackling global warming – and boost biodiversity. Some shade-grown UK coffee brands include Bird & Wild, Cafédirect, Easy Jose Coffee, Coromandel Coast and Owens Coffee. Buying coffee from producers who deal directly with the growers, or Fairtrade certified brands, means farmers also receive much better prices for their coffee crop. If you really want to make your coffee greener, switch to drinking tea – a scientific analysis comparing tea and coffee production found coffee produces 2.5 times the GHGs of tea, and tea only needs 25% of the water used in coffee cultivation. But that might be a step too far for even the most ethically minded coffee drinker.
If you’re not ready to go vegan, there are other ways you can change the impact your diet has on the environment. Discover the top 10 most sustainable foods in the world – and which one you should avoid
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is no longer just about getting the right mix of vitamins, minerals, protein and fat into your meals. Today, it can also mean balancing your needs with the needs of the planet. So, how do you do that? You could decide to go vegan – research shows cutting out meat and dairy is one of the best ways to reduce your impact on the planet; flexitarian – a ‘casual vegetarian’ diet; or plant-based – any diet that focus on eating food from plant sources. They all sound great in theory, but what does that actually look like on your plate? What foods should you be eating if you want to follow a sustainable diet? We’ve found the 10 most sustainable foods everyone should eat, and the worst food in the world from an environmental perspective. What is a sustainable food? Good question. The World Health Organisation says sustainable diets ‘promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing [and] have low environmental pressure and impact’. In other words, they keep you and the planet healthy. This means you’ll need to put some thought into how your food is produced and where it comes from; we know not all vegan food is environmentally friendly. Essentially, a sustainable food should have a low carbon footprint, and not contribute to deforestation, water scarcity, overfishing or loss of biodiversity. It should also provide you with enough nutrients to live a healthy, happy life – not just stop you from getting ill. It sounds a lot to ask, but there a number of foods that fit the bill. 1. Pulses Pulses include lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans: these tiny plants are nutritional powerhouses. The UN says they’re packed with protein, low in fat, rich in soluble fibre and have been found to help reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Pulses also have an incredible ability to ‘self-fertilise’ the soil; their roots contain bacteria that convert nitrogen in the air into a different form that can be used by plants, reducing the need for artificial fertilisers. Plus, pulses use less land to produce more protein – it takes nearly 100 times more land to produce a gram of protein from lamb or beef versus peas or tofu. 2. Leafy greens The WWF calls dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, watercress and broccoli ‘the most versatile and nutritious of all types of vegetables’. They’ve been shown to help lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. What’s more, they’re a very planet-friendly food. They’re fast growing (so farmers can get more than one harvest a year) and have very low carbon emissions during their growing and harvesting processes. But make sure you do eat them – the UK throws away 178 million bags of salad every year, and food waste is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases. 3. Mushrooms The humble mushroom was actually considered ‘the food of the Gods’ by the Romans! Fungi are rich in a number of nutrients such as B vitamins and especially vitamin D, which we normally make via the sun’s rays on our skin. Their taste and texture make them ideal meat substitutes, or for bulking out meat dishes. The American Mushroom Institute says a kilogram of mushrooms produces less than 0.7kg of CO2, while other (mushroom-sponsored) studies found they need less water and less energy than most other agricultural crops. There are some concerns that mushrooms themselves release large amounts of CO2, but researchers say we could pipe that carbon back into greenhouses to grow other crops. 4. Locally grown fruits This might seem obvious – the further a food has to travel, the greater its carbon footprint – but the stats are so shocking, it bears repeating. Only 7 per cent of the fruits we eat in the UK are grown here; the rest are imported, with 70 per cent from outside Europe. The water footprint (WF) of imported fruits is huge compared with home-grown – raspberries’ WF is 53 times greater and plums’ 45 times. Imported apples, pears and strawberries have a WF 6-10 times higher than those grown on UK soil. One answer is to only eat what’s in season – and freeze fresh fruit in summer – while scientists also suggest building more UK ripening facilities to reduce the impact of refrigerated transport. Until then, get to know your Pippins from your Pig’s Snout. 5. Seaweed Seaweed is becoming more popular – not just as an ingredient in dishes like sushi or laverbread, but seaweed extracts such as agar can be used as vegan alternatives to gelatine. The health benefits vary depending on the type of seaweed but in general, seaweed is rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, antioxidants and iodine. It has planet health benefits, too. Algae, including seaweed, produces around 50 per cent of all the oxygen on earth, it can absorb carbon dioxide, nitrogen and phosphate in the sea – converting agricultural run-off – and can be harvested several times a year, providing an alternative income for coastal communities to avoid over-fishing. 6. Mussels Staying under the sea, mussels and other bivalves like clams should be on your sustainable menu. They contain more protein than many meat and plant crops, and have high levels of omega-3s, iron, zinc and magnesium. They’re so nutrient-dense, experts say they’re one of the best ways we can feed a growing global population. Mussels can also help us clean up the oceans. Like all bivalves, they feed by filtering water. This removes waste particles, like industrial fertilisers and carbon dioxide. Farmed mussels don’t use any land, fresh water or feed, plus the ropes they’re grown on can provide habitats for other sea creatures. Paella, anyone? 7. Cereals and grains Most of us know that cereals and grains should make up a large part of a healthy, balanced diet, but the WWF warns that ‘there is a pressing need to vary the types of cereals and grains grown and eaten’. That’s because relying on one or two crops has negative consequences for both the environment and our health. From an environmental perspective, monoculture (only growing one crop) has an impact on soil health – so farmers need to use extra fertilisers – and increases the risk of disease and pest outbreaks, so large amounts of pesticides and herbicides are then sprayed on the crop. Those chemicals in our food aren’t great for us, and we’re missing out on a range of vitamins and minerals if we only eat certain cereals and grains, such as white rice, maize or wheat. Next time you go shopping, look for alternatives such as buckwheat, teff, spelt and quinoa. Not only will you get out of your cooking comfort zone, you’re also supporting your long-term health and that of the planet. 8. Grass-fed beef Beef?! On a sustainable foods list?! Yes – but hear us out. One of the biggest arguments against everyone going vegan is that some land currently used for grazing cattle isn’t suitable for growing crops. Let’s assume it can be left as grassland for cows. If that land is also part of a regenerative farm, the farmer will be rearing livestock alongside growing crops in a bid to improve soil health. The natural fertiliser produced by the cows reduces or eliminates the need for chemical fertilisers, while the animals’ hooves churning up the soil also helps it to absorb more carbon. There is some research to show that grass-fed beef can be carbon-negative in the short term and carbon-neutral in the long term, but other scientists argue that even if grass-fed cows do contribute to storing carbon, this is only under ideal conditions. So, there are benefits to rearing grass-fed cattle but they’re not going to solve climate change alone. The EAT-Lancet Commission, which developed the 'planet healthy' diet, does allow for eating some red meat and, if you are going to eat beef, it should be the ‘least-worst’ option. But remember to go for locally grown grass-feed beef to further reduce its carbon footprint. 9. Oats Not convinced by grass-fed beef? There are some crops that will thrive in the most inhospitable places – enter oats. They can grow at high altitudes and without chemical fertilisers, and can be sown between other crop harvests to help replenish the soil; known as a ‘break crop’. Oat milk uses a lot less water than other plant alternatives too, such as soy or rice milk. Oats could also be called a ‘superfood’. They’re known to help lower bad cholesterol levels and can reduce high blood pressure, while serving up decent amounts of fibre and vitamins such as magnesium and zinc per serving. Again, stick to local varieties rather than imported oats to reduce the environmental impact of transport. 10. Figs Figs taste good and do good. For starters, nearly 1,300 bird and mammal species eat figs – making them one of the most relied-on fruits on the planet – who then go on to spread the seeds far and wide. Some scientists say planting fig trees can help regenerate deforested landscapes, restoring biodiversity, while the trees can also be pretty resilient to climate change. For us, figs can help with digestion, weight management, bone health and high blood pressure. Figs grow in most Mediterranean countries, reducing their food miles, but you could even plant a few varieties in the back garden. And you’ll get an Adam and Eve fancy dress costume for free… And the worst? No surprises here – there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence to show beef and dairy are the worst foods for us and the planet. Greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, transport costs and low amounts of nutrition for all the effort involved, combine to make farmed meat and dairy products a bad choice for everyone. Research by the Food Standards Agency found 73 per cent of us want to buy food with a low environmental impact. The bad news is getting that information included on food labels is still some way off, but the good news is that articles like this can help. Next time you’re planning meals, make the planet a guest at your table. This will help ensure there’s always enough food available for everyone.
Protecting your kitchenware can also protect your health: here’s why
Panic inducing headlines are everywhere, but what’s the science behind these claims? We look at non-stick pans, black plastic utensils and what makes a good chopping board.
We all think about whether the food we cook is fresh and good to eat, but we don’t often think about whether our utensils and cookware are at peak fitness. Is your kitchen kit working as well as it can for you? There’s been lots of news coverage about kitchen equipment that could be adding unwanted ‘extras’ such as micro plastics and chemicals to your food. While there is good science behind these claims, the headlines have been a little click-baity. So, we’ve taken a deep dive into the studies to find out what’s really going on with your cookware. Here’s our guide to looking after different bits of kit, and a quick reminder, the one thing that you should ALWAYS do, is read the instruction manual. Even on something that seems as basic as a frying pan. Non-stick pans The science: Non-stick cookware is made with ‘non-sticky’ chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) or, a newer type of PFA called PTFE: you might know it as Teflon. PFAs are great for non-stick pans because they’re incredibly resistant to heat, and can repel water and grease. PFAs are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they last for so long in the environment. There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence to show PFAs are harmful to health – they’ve been linked to thyroid disease, heart disease, liver damage, diabetes, fertility problems and some types of cancer. One of the most dangerous, PFOA, is now being banned from use in cookware in both the US and Europe. The good news is that so far, research shows PTFE is a ‘safe’ PFA – most of the harmful chemicals are burned off during the manufacturing process. But you still need be careful how you heat these pans – when PTFE gets over 260°C (500°F), it can start to break down. If this happens– and this temperature is a lot higher than you’d normally use for frying food – this ​​releases toxic fumes into the atmosphere that could trigger a condition called ​'Teflon flu’; symptoms include fever, headache, coughing and​difficulty breathing. Most people recover in a couple of days, but if you have a lung condition (like asthma) it could have a ​more significant impact on your health. Non-stick pans are one of the modern kitchen’s greatest inventions but you do need to take care of the lining. If the non-stick lining is scratched or flaking off, this can release ​thousands of micro- and nanoparticles of PTFE into your food. Although PTFE is known to pass through the digestive system ​without causing harm, not enough research has been carried out in humans on the long-term effects of consuming it. Helpful rules: Always check the instructions for how hot you should allow your pan to get – you’ll find this information on the packaging or manufacturer's website. avoid using metal utensils that might scratch the surface don’t pre-heat your pans without any food in them – empty pots and pans can reach higher temperatures more quickly avoid heating to temperatures above 260°C (500°F) don’t wash them with abrasive cleaners or scrubbers store them carefully so they don’t get scratched replace any old pans that might still contain PFOA and recycle any chipped or scratched non-stick cookware. If you want a pan that you can pre heat on a high heat for a long time,for cooking thick steaks for example, buy cast iron. Stainless steel, ceramic and cast-iron pans can all be non-stick as long as you treat them well and wash them properly after use. Air fryers ​​Air fryers are now a must-have kitchen gadget. You can use them for everything from ‘frying’ to baking cakes and roasting meat, as they work like mini ovens. But, similar to non-stick pots and pans, it helps to know what the guidelines are so you can use them as properly instructed. The science: The drawers in most air-fryers will be coated with a non-stick lining like PTFE or a similar material, such as Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA has been ​linked to fertility issues, serious eye damage, heart disease and obesity. It’s also an endocrine disrupter, which means it has an effect on the normal functioning of your hormones. But again – just like non-stick pans – you’re unlikely to consume large amounts of these chemicals unless the lining of your air fryer drawers is damaged. Helpful rules: To avoid scratching or chipping the lining of your air fryer, you should: hand-wash the drawers with a gentle washing-up liquid avoid harsh scrubbers and scourers, especially metal ones use wooden or silicon tools while cooking replace the drawers as soon as you spot any damage. You could also switch to an air fryer that has stainless steel drawers or a ceramic lining. And if you’re still concerned about PFAs or PAHs, don’t use your air fryer at high temperatures as this increases the risk of harmful fumes being released. Chopping boards ​The science: In a world before we knew about microplastics, plastic chopping boards often got a big tick for being hygienic. But ​research shows wooden chopping boards are just as safe as – and in some cases superior to – plastic versions (we use wooden boards in our test kitchen). When you use a wooden chopping board, you do create deeper cuts on the surface. But because wood expands and contracts as you use it, bacteria gets drawn into these cuts where it’s more likely to stay and eventually die, than re-emerge and come into contact with fresh food. Because plastic boards tend to have shallower cuts and scratches, these create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria that can be more easily transferred to your food. Plastic chopping boards will also shed microplastics. A ​recent US study revealed they release thousands of microplastics (plastic particles less than 5mm long) every time the board is used – just a single cut can release up to 1,114 particles. There is evidence linking micro- and nanoplastics (particles less than 1mm) to bowel, bladder and lung cancers, respiratory conditions, gut problems and ​​endocrine disorders. Microplastics can also collect ​in our arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. After reviewing the available scientific evidence in 2023, the ​World Health Organization concluded that “measures should be taken to mitigate exposure” to nano- and microplastics, including global plans to reduce ​plastic pollution. So, does this mean you should recycle your plastic chopping boards? Maybe – the latest study found a plastic chopping board could create 15 milligrams of microplastics per cut, or around 50 grams a year. That’s about 10 credit cards you could be consuming just from chopping up your fruit and veg. But because we absorb microplastics from so many different sources, getting rid of your plastic chopping board may not have a huge impact on your health. If the surface is getting worn, however, you may feel more comfortable replacing it. Helpful rules To limit the damage from your chopping boards: switch to wooden chopping boards – many types of wood have ​antimicrobial properties, while bamboo is both ​￼​antibacterial and very hardwearing so it’s more resistant to damage from knives during use clean every chopping board every time you use it – the FDA ​recommends using hot soapy water, rinsing with clean water and then air drying replace worn or damaged boards – once you notice deep cuts or flaking on plastic chopping boards, get rid of them to reduce your exposure. Wooden boards need to be cared for to keep them in good condition, so any that develop deep cracks might be better used as serving boards. Black plastic utensils The science: In 2024, a news story highlighted the tension between recycling, which is good for the planet, and reuse – exactly what products are we reusing? A study in the journal ​Chemosphere revealed that 85% of the products researchers tested – including kitchen utensils, food storage boxes and children’s toys – contained high levels of dangerous flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and decobromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE). However, the authors had to dial back their claims when it was discovered they had miscalculated the numbers. The actual exposure level to decaBDE was not as high as they initially thought – instead, it’s one tenth of the amount. So, dangerous chemicals can still be found in your black plastic utensils but not at the excessive amounts researchers originally believed. These flame-retardant chemicals are known as endoctrine disruptors and have been linked to thyroid disorders, neurodevelopment issues in children and an increased risk of cancer. Their use has now been banned or restricted in the US and in many countries across the EU, so what are they doing in your spoons and spatulas? Experts believe the increasing demand for black plastic is being met by recycling plastic from old electronics and electrical equipment. This black plastic contains flame retardants to help stop your gadgets from overheating. But it is then added to other recycled plastics to become kitchen tools. When these utensils – and the flame-retardant chemicals inside them – come into contact with hot oils, the oil “acts like a solvent and will facilitate their leaching out” says Dr Andrew Turner. This doesn’t mean all recycled black plastic kitchen tools contain these harmful chemicals, but it does raise questions about where this plastic comes from and whether it’s safe for our health. Helpful rules These apply to all plastics you use in the kitchen: When the time comes to replace your utensils switch to using wooden or silicon tools – these will also be kinder to your non-stick cookware use stainless steel spoons, tongs or slices when cooking at high temperatures. only microwave plastic that designed to be microwaved, this includes cling film (better to ditch this altogether as it cannot be recycled) and plastic food packaging Above all, look after the kitchen tools you have, and try not to worry too much – one of the ​biggest causes of harm in our kitchens is slipping over on wet floors or oil spills, which are a lot easier to spot than nanoplastics! <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2025/03/GettyImages-1318947899-d9be440.jpg" width="2121" height="1414" alt="Wooden kitchen utensils and set of dishes with blank space for text. Wooden cutting board, oven-gloves, wooden bowls and spoons, ripe bananas and limes on beige sunlight room. Home kitchen decor concept. Zero waste concept." title="Kitchen utensils on home beige background." /> Read more about reducing plastic waste... 10 ways to trash the plastic How to reduce food packaging waste
From ‘food miles’ to ‘mindful meat’, our sustainability glossary explains some of the most common green concepts to help you make informed purchasing choices
We all want to make greener choices in what we eat and drink, not just to reduce our carbon footprint, but to encourage sustainable farming, protect wildlife and our beautiful rural habitats, and nurture ecosystems for future generations. For all our good intentions, navigating the often baffling terminology can be a headache. A 2024 report, by communications agency Fleet Street and market researchers, Trajectory, found that fewer than 50 per cent of people completely understand concepts such as “locally grown” or “single-use plastics”. Science terms, such as “biodiversity” or “carbon offsetting”, were clear to just five per cent of consumers. To help clarify, we’ve compiled a sustainability glossary that explains some of the most common green concepts you may encounter when you’re shopping, eating out or reading about food’s sustainability. Read on to empower yourself to make the right choices for you and the planet. Next find out which diet is the most environmentally friendly, what a green diet look likes and what would happen if everyone went vegan. The Good Food Sustainability Glossary Biodiversity The wide variety of life on Earth encompassing different animals, insects, plants, the ecosystem they live in – forest, desert, grasslands or coral reef, for example – and the microorganisms that help support life in that environment. Biodynamic Low-intensity farming with a spiritual edge, popular with winemakers. Shares many methods with organic and regenerative farming, but biodynamic farms also use nine treatments (called “preparations”, fermented from natural ingredients) to improve soil and compost health. The efficacy of such treatments has not been scientifically verified. Some biodynamic farmers also rely on the lunar calendar, charting the position of the moon, to choose the best time for sowing and harvesting. Bioplastics Plastics derived from renewable plant matter, such as corn starch or sugar cane, which produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Popular in takeaway food packaging, many bioplastics are compostable, but only if collected for treatment in industrial composters, which work at hotter temperatures than home compost bins. Only items labelled ‘home compostable’ or similar, can be thrown in with your potato peels and apple cores. Carbon footprint Researcher and writer Mike Berners-Lee explains this as; carbon = all the different global-warming greenhouse gases, footprint = a metaphor for the impact something has. By this definition, a carbon footprint is roughly the total climate change impact of something, such as an activity (flying), an item (a banana), a person, or even a whole country. Find out more about our food carbon footprint and ways to cut your food carbon footprint. Carbon neutral Activity which, overall, does not increase the total greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Ideally, this is done by eliminating emissions at source. Carbon neutrality can also be achieved by carbon offsetting, where a company pays a third-party to absorb carbon from the atmosphere, for example by planting trees (also known as reforestation). Capsule free Wines minus a non-recyclable foil wrap at the neck, which is an unnecessary and wasteful addition. Clean energy Renewable sources of energy that generate power but do not contribute to global warming. Clean or green energy sources include wind, solar, wave, biomass and hydro. Deforestation Cutting down or removing trees to make way for crops, such as palm oil, farms or urban development. Deforestation in tropical rainforests is particularly worrying because of the wide range of biodiversity they support. Einkorn, emmer & spelt Ancient forms of wheat hailed for their flavour, nutritional value and ability, as hardy crops, to thrive on biodiverse organic and regenerative farms. Entomophagy Eating insects and food made from insect protein, which would alleviate pressure on the global food system. Fin-to-gill & root-to-fruit The same zero-waste approach as nose-to-tail but for fish and vegetables or fruit. Flexitarian Flexitarians minimise their meat, fish and sometimes dairy intake (sourcing sustainably when they do partake), in favour of vegetables, beans, dried pulses and nuts. In food production, meat and other animal products create the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to a mostly plant-based diet is one of the easiest ways to step more lightly on the planet. Food miles The distance that your food has travelled from where it’s grown to where you buy it. Curiously, a high number of food miles doesn’t always mean that food is bad for the environment. Bananas, for example, are shipped thousands of miles to the UK but they often have a much lower carbon footprint than produce that has been air freighted in from Europe. Discover the facts about food miles. Food waste Any food or inedible parts of food that are thrown away. Avoidable food waste is food that could have been eaten but is either no longer wanted or has gone past its sell-by-date. Unavoidable food waste is food that could never be eaten, such as eggshells or tea bags. Learn about how to reduce food waste. Fossil fuels Non-renewable sources of energy such as coal, oil and natural gas. Fossil fuels release greenhouse gases when they are burned, while most plastic is made from chemicals extracted from fossil fuels. Green diet A healthy, sustainable way of eating that’s better for you and the environment. Key principles include reducing red meat consumption, eating more plant-based foods and cutting out processed foods. Greenhouse gases A number of gases that contribute to climate change by trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The largest contributor to global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2). Others include methane and nitrous oxide. Read more about greenhouse gases. Hand-dived… by human divers. The least disruptive way of retrieving seafood, usually scallops, from sea beds. Other low-impact seafood sources to look out for include rope-grown mussels, farmed oysters and creelor pot-caught crab and lobster. Intensive farming Highly mechanised farming that uses artificial fertilisers and concentrated animal feeds to produce large amounts of food quickly, affordably and reliably. It often involves the large-scale cultivation of one crop (known as a monoculture), and is responsible for river pollution, soil degradation and decreasing biodiversity. Landfill A site where waste is disposed of by being buried in the ground. In the UK, we send almost one quarter (24.4 per cent) of our waste, or 52.3 million tonnes, to landfill. Locavore Modern chef and consumer movement committed to buying locally produced foods, from the farm gate or within a 100-mile radius. This can bolster small businesses, communities and promote transparent, environmentally sound supply chains. It’s sometimes referred to as farm-to-table dining. Mindful meat Phrase used to denote avoidance of intensively farmed meats and an emphasis on eating “better meat” from abundant sources, such as wild game, or meats that would otherwise be a waste product (for example male kid goats from dairy farms). Natural wine Wine returned to its pre-industrial origin, in order, say fans, to let the true flavours of a grape or growing area shine. Grapes are grown using organic or biodynamic principles, boosting soil health, fermented with wild yeasts and, unlike conventional wine (where various mechanical aids and additives can be used help makers ensure consistent flavours), left to develop without intervention. Certification schemes for natural wine are emerging. French makers can join the official Vin Méthode Nature designation. But, globally, most makers prefer to work pragmatically rather than to strict rules. For example, some will not add any stabilising sulphites to their wines, others modest amounts on a case-by-case basis. Nose-to-tail Cooking ethos popularised by chef Fergus Henderson which teaches, for both sustainability and flavour, that all edible parts of an animal should be eaten. Not just prime cuts but skin, organs, brains, bone marrow and more (known as offal or the ‘fifth quarter’). Organic farming Low intensity farming that using traditional methods seeks to work, "in harmony with nature,” says charity and certifying body the Soil Association. Certified organic producers must follow strict, legally defined rules covering many aspects of animal welfare and cultivation. For example, they cannot use weed-killers, and farms may only use a small number of naturally derived pesticides, such as citronella, within strict limits, as a last resort. Read more about what organic means. Overfishing When too many fish are caught, and there are not enough adults to breed and restock the population. The UN says one third of global fish stocks have now reached ‘overfished’ status. Regenerative farming A flexible approach rather than an objective set of rules, regen or low-input farming seeks to maximise a farm’s soil health and biodiversity by intermingling various crops, plants, trees, grazing animals and natural water sources, in such a way that farms can thrive with minimal-tozero use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. Known as regenerative viticulture in wine. Single-use plastics An item of plastic that is only used once before it is thrown away. Single-use plastics include water bottles, plastic straws, cotton buds and food packaging. Find out the pieces of packaging to avoid. Sustainable Restaurant Association The SRA certifies restaurants with its ‘Food Made Good’ standard – a global evaluation of sustainable practises. Michelin’s green clover ‘Sustainable Gastronomy’ emblem awarded to restaurants doing good work in, say, growing-their-own or waste minimisation. Tap wine Wine served in recyclable or reusable kegs or pouches, reducing carbon emissions. Glass is energy intensive to make and heavy to transport. Wildfarmed Not a farming method, but a company. Its regeneratively farmed wheat flours are popular with chefs. More on sustainability What biodegradable really means How to compost food at home 8 ways to be a better recycler What are greenhouse gases? Is your diet contributing to water scarcity? Sustainability hub page For expert advice on everything from making products last longer, to reducing energy use and your carbon footprint - see sustainable living advice on Which.co.uk.
What is water-based cooking – and why it's better for you
Forget air fryers – the latest healthy way to cook is using water. Find out why chefs are switching over and the health benefits of water-based cooking
Water-based cooking sounds like a complicated technique involving sous vide machines and water baths. But the great news is that many of us are already doing plenty of it: steaming, boiling and poaching are all some of the classic ways you can cook with water. These tried and tested methods have been around for centuries across lots of cultures, so why is water-based cooking (WBC) now having a moment in the health spotlight? And is it worth increasing your repertoire to focus more on these techniques? Why is everyone talking about water-based cooking? The number of people searching for WBC or methods for cooking with water has slowly increased over the past year, but the trend really took off at the end of 2024. Some of this was thanks to food influencers on Instagram making recipes like puris – which are normally deep fried in hot oil – in boiling water. And some of it was down to the ‘air fryer effect’; as calorie-conscious cooks started to learn more about how to make their favourite fried foods without using so much oil, they started searching for other ways to create these dishes. But WBC has more benefits for your wellbeing than simply reducing the amount of oil you use. The health benefits of water-based cooking Steaming, boiling, braising or poaching your food all have their own benefits. Steaming your vegetables helps preserve vital vitamins and minerals. If you're poaching your veggies in a broth (for instance if making a ramen) then you're also making sure you're not losing any nutrients. Delicate proteins (especially fish) work particularly well poached, and this method can also help them absorb subtle flavours if they're poached in a sauce. Braising is a technique that involves flash frying meat in a bit of oil, to lock in the flavour, then simmered for some time in a sealed pot in stock, wine or another liquid. Think of a classic lamb tagine or a beef casserole. It is ideal for tougher (and often cheaper) cuts of meat because they're cooked for longer than frying or roasting. And adding vegetables means you also increase the nutritional value of the dish. Again, cooking the vegetables in the body of the stew means the majority of the nutrients will stay in the dish rather than being discarded after boiling. Boiling vegetables isn’t usually recommended by nutritionists as this can leach out water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C into the cooking water. However, boiling – like these other water-based methods – does avoid using much fat, so food cooked in this way contains far fewer calories than if you pan-fried it. All these WBC methods have one other major health benefit in common too; they significantly reduce – or even eliminate – the production of advanced glycation end-products. Read more about these somewhat controversial compounds below… What are advanced glycation end-products? Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are produced when you fry, air-fry, roast, grill or barbecue your food, and have been linked to a number of harmful conditions. They are created when fats or proteins interact with sugars and are usually formed when food is cooked at high temperatures, particularly dry heat, during something called the Maillard or browning reaction. Processed foods, high in fat and sugar, are a major source of AGEs. We do produce AGEs naturally, and our bodies can normally clear them away, but when they start to build up – largely thanks to consuming too many in our diet – they may become a problem. Research now shows AGEs may be behind a number of health issues including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, obesity, dementia and conditions affecting fertility, like polycystic ovary syndrome. So, how can we reduce the number of AGEs in our diet? Cutting down the amount of ultra-processed foods we eat is one of the best solutions. But changing the way we cook our food can also help. Scientists have discovered that ‘moist’ WBC methods can all significantly cut the production of AGEs in our meals. This is because they stop the Maillard reaction from happening that, in turn, reduces the number of AGEs we consume. Should you switch to water-based cooking? If you are concerned about the formation of AGEs in your food, switching to WBC methods like steaming or poaching can allay some of those fears. But you don’t have to give up grilling or barbecuing altogether. One study found marinating meat in acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, can significantly reduce the amount of AGEs produced. The beef in this study was marinated for an hour, but there’s some evidence that marinating meat for as little as 10 minutes can still reduce the number of AGEs created during ‘dry’ heat methods. WBC techniques do have a number of health benefits including the reduction of AGEs, preserving nutrients and using less fat. But they’re also historic cooking methods used to produce delicious and satisfying dishes, all around the world. Fragrant curries, hearty stews, poached fruit puddings and South-East Asian soups are all made with WBC. If you do want to try more WBC, do it for the recipes and not just the health benefits. Following a balanced diet, which includes a mixture of different foods and cooking techniques, will be a lot easier to stick to and much more exciting to eat. All health content on goodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
Food fraud is on the rise, from olive oil to tomato purée. But what's driving this increase and how can you tell if you're eating the real deal?
When you hear ‘fake food’, you might imagine the hugely successful Netflix TV series Is It Cake? where contestants have to guess whether random objects – including handbags, vegetables or cheeseburgers – are made of cake. But actual food fraud is far less entertaining. It means some products on our shelves are mislabelled, blended or bulked out with cheaper ingredients, or could even contain substances that are harmful to our health. Fake food now costs the UK economy up to £2 billion a year, and some experts say it’s costing the global economy $40 billion every year. Find out what’s behind the worldwide rise in food fraud and the five most common fake foods to watch out for. What is food fraud? In technical terms, food fraud is “the intentional misrepresentation of the true identity or contents of a food ingredient or product for economic gain”. In plain English, this means deliberately adding, removing or replacing ingredients, using illegal processing methods and/or making misleading claims on the label (such as where it’s from or the percentage of a certain ingredient) to increase the price. You may have seen news stories about rotting meat being mixed with fresh and then repackaged, counterfeit vodka, olive oil gangs or fake honey flooding the market. These are all examples of food fraud, and they’re becoming increasingly common. Why is fake food on the rise? Between 2016 and 2019, the number of suspected food fraud cases in the EU increased by 85%. And industry experts say numbers will keep rising worldwide. According to The Financial Times, higher food prices are tempting more criminals to pass off cheap or contaminated foods as better-quality versions. These price rises are driven by mounting stresses on global supply chains, such as the war in Ukraine and the effects of climate change on harvests, like drought and wildfires. Food safety expert Professor Chris Elliott told industry publication The Grocer that one of the biggest issues fuelling food fraud is the “Wild West” of online shopping, that has very few regulations. When we can’t find what we want in supermarkets, many of us buy it online, but “they can basically sell whatever they want,” he says. The top 5 fake foods Unless you have a testing laboratory at home, it’s hard to know if you are buying counterfeit foods. To help protect you, here are the top 5 fake foods on the market – and the key signs to look out for. 1. Tomato purée <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2025/01/GettyImages-2184898807-1-acf7837.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="Hand of a cashier on a conveyor belt and bottle of tomato sauce illustrating consumption and inflation in an Auchan hypermarket on the outskirts of Lyon in Caluire et Cuire, France on November 15, 2024. Supermarket of the Auchan mass distribution company managed by the Mulliez Family Association. (Photo by Antoine Boureau / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by ANTOINE BOUREAU/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)" title="Tomato purée" /> A December 2024 BBC investigation recently discovered a number of UK supermarkets were selling ‘Italian’ tomato purée that appear likely to contained tomatoes grown and picked in China using forced labour. Although their labels claimed the purée was Italian, tests showed they were likely made from tomatoes grown in the Xinjiang region, an area linked to forced labour using detained Uyghur and other Muslim minorities. Most of the purées found to contain Chinese tomatoes were supermarkets’ own-label versions, including Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose – although the supermarkets say their own tests show no trace of Chinese tomatoes. But all those by top Italian brands and some stores’ own-label purées (Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer) contained only Italian tomatoes. Make sure you’re buying genuine Italian tomato purée by sticking with reputable Italian brands, or look for products that have DOP or POD on the label. This stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta or Protected Designation of Origin and shows that products are grown and made by local producers. 2. Olive oil <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2025/01/GettyImages-2174613715-606a34e.jpg" width="1024" height="681" alt="LEIGH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 26: Bottles of La Espanola branded extra virgin olive oil are displayed for sale on a supermarket shelf on September 26, 2024 in Leigh-on-Sea, United Kingdom. Olive oil prices are reported to drop significantly by the end of the year, according to olive oil producers with a price decrease of 30-40% due to a substantial increase in production. Mediterranean producers forecast a much better-than-expected olive this autumn which could bring an end to the record-high olive oil prices seen over the past couple of years. (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)" title="Olive oil" /> Rising olive oil prices, driven by a global shortage of olives following extreme weather events, have created a huge black market in fake olive oil. In the first few months of 2024, the EU already had a record number of potential olive oil fraud and mislabelling cases – and numbers are expected to keep increasing. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is particularly at risk due to the higher prices it commands. Police across Europe have uncovered several criminal networks passing off lower grade olive oils, or other plant oils like sunflower oil, as EVOO, or olive oils bulked out with unsafe ingredients, such as lamp oil, or low-grade pomace olive oil. To guarantee you’re buying genuine ‘liquid gold’, look for PDO or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) on the label. You could also buy it from smaller producers who can very easily trace the origins of their olive oil. Sounds like the perfect excuse to pick up a bottle direct from a producer on your next holiday. 3. Honey You may be eating fake honey without realising. The Honey Authenticity Network recently discovered that 90% of the honey they tested on UK supermarket shelves contains cheap syrup, while a 2018 study looking at honey samples taken from around the world found 27% were bulked out with lower-grade ingredients. Research shows honey is often diluted with glucose, sugar or corn syrups – a process known as ‘honey laundering’ – while labels may claim it’s from a different country to where it was really produced, or it could be made in a number of different locations and then labelled as the product of one country. Protect your toast from counterfeit honey by buying from reputable brands and check the label to see if it contains extra ingredients and where it was produced. You could also search for local beekeepers to buy your honey directly from them. 4. Herbs and spices Those tiny packets of herbs and spices are one of the biggest food groups targeted by fraudsters. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warns that saffron – one of the most expensive herbs in the world – is often bulked out with cheaper plant stems, while studies have found ground black pepper could also contain papaya seeds, millet or even twigs! Fake vanilla pods (stripped of their seeds) or ‘real’ vanilla extra that’s really synthetic vanillin, are also becoming more common. But some counterfeit spices pose a serious risk to your health. In America, the FDA has discovered cases of lead-based food colourings or industrial dyes linked to health issues like cancer, added to various spices including chili powder, turmeric and cumin. To avoid being duped, go for the whole versions of herbs and spices – like cinnamon sticks or whole black pepper – and check the country of origin on the labels. 5. Fish and seafood Most cases of fish fraud involve mislabelling, where cheaper species are passed off as more expensive species – rockfish or other types of snapper are often sold as red snapper. A Guardian investigation in 2021 revealed around 35% of seafood samples taken from restaurants, fishmongers and supermarkets worldwide were mislabelled. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warns of prawns being injected with gels to make them weigh more and look more appealing but these aren’t designed to be eaten, posing a risk to our health. There’s also evidence of highly toxic pesticides being poured into the sea to catch fish, and formaldehyde used to preserve seafood. That said, when it comes to UK supermarket fish standards, they are higher than what you might eat in a restaurant or takeaway. If you’re ordering fish in a restaurant, ask questions about how fresh it is or where it was caught. Try to buy seafood from your local fishmongers and check for any certifications, like the Marine Stewardship Council or The Soil Association for organic fish. And remember; if something seems too cheap to be true, it’s probably fake.
I ate a low-meat diet for a week - this is what I learned
Research shows reducing our meat intake to 50g a day can dramatically reduce our carbon emissions. So how easy is it to stick to a low-meat diet?
If you’ve always been intrigued by the idea of Veganuary, but giving up all animal products for an entire month feels like a step too far, let me introduce you to the ‘low-meat diet’. Scientists at Oxford University recently discovered that if heavy meat eaters – those eating 100g of meat a day – reduced their intake by half, this saved the same amount of carbon emissions as taking eight million cars off UK roads. As a meat eater, I was intrigued to find out if cutting my consumption down to 50g a day would be easy to do. And could I keep it up for a week? Why follow a 'low-meat' diet? If you eat meat, your diet has a huge impact on the environment. We know that livestock (cows, pigs, chickens, etc) account for 11.2 per cent of all the greenhouse gases produced worldwide, while meat also has a giant water footprint; it takes 15,400 litres of water to produce just 1kg of beef, for example. But what about your personal impact on the planet? Professor Peter Scarborough, who led the research, explains that this is the first study based on real people’s diets rather than abstract models. He says, “We looked at the diets of 55,500 adults in the UK and divided this up into: heavy meat eaters (100g a day), medium meat eaters (50-100g) and low meat eaters (50g); fish-eaters; vegetarians; vegans.” The results were shocking; a meat-eater’s diet led to 75 per cent more carbon emissions, water pollution and land use than a vegan’s. And when a high-meat diet was compared with a low-meat diet, there was still a 30 per cent difference. I eat meat four times a week, sometimes twice a day, so I’m definitely eating 100g a day – if not more. This new study was a wake-up call, and it gave me the push I needed to cut down my meat consumption. How much is 50g of meat? This was the first thing I needed to work out: what does 50g of meat look like? In keeping with the study, I included all animal meat – chicken, pork, lamb and beef – but not fish or seafood. I also included processed meats, such as sausages, bacon and chorizo. And I was amazed at the miniscule amount I was ‘allowed’. An average 50g portion of meat is approximately: • 1 thick slice / 2 very thin slices of roast beef • 1.5 chipolata sausages • 2 slices ham • 2 rashers bacon • 10 thin slices chorizo • 3.5 tablespoons cooked mince • 1 small, thin burger patty • 1 small skinless, boneless chicken thigh • 1 small chicken mini fillet • 1/2 small pork loin steak I realised not only how tiny an amount 50g was, but also how little 100g a day is – even though this counts as a high-meat diet. Dr Elisa Becker, a psychologist at Oxford University who specialises in behaviour changes to help people reduce their meat intake, says, “It is quite a shock to see that such a small amount of meat already has such a big impact on the environment.” It was definitely time to change my meat-eating habits. How hard could it be to eat 50g a day for seven days? Narrator: She did not, in fact, find it easy. The lows of a low-meat diet... For the first few days, I was totally happy – my breakfasts stayed the same (toast, porridge or yoghurt and fruit) and I’m a big fan of a jacket potato with beans and cheese or a falafel wrap for lunch. But as the week went on, I became more frustrated with my meat ‘rations’ for my evening meals. One and a half sausages doesn’t make a proper dinner, and a small chicken thigh only stretches so far – even shredding it into a soup. I didn’t want to rely on meat-free substitutes like burgers or mince either, as they’re also ultra-processed foods. I wondered if I could ‘save up’ my 50g daily allowance for something like a fry-up or a roast dinner. “Oh, I think that’s definitely allowed!” says Dr Becker. “Even people who eat a lot of meat don’t always have 100g a day; some days they eat more and on others, much less. It makes sense to have one or two meat-based meals a week, rather than eating two rashers of bacon a day.” Knowing I could add up my daily allowance would make planning my meals a lot easier, and this spurred me on to finish the week. ...and the highs Taking Dr Becker’s advice on board, I had a meat-based meal (pulled pork and a chicken curry) on two nights, then made plant-based versions of classic meat meals, like veggie chilli, for the rest of the week. I also enjoyed finding new fish recipes to cook, having completely forgotten about seafood in my sulk over how little meat I was allowed. Changing my mindset to see that I could eat 350g of meat a week – around 2 chicken breasts, 2 small fillet steaks, or 3 large sausages and 2 thick rashers of bacon – rather than 50g a day, felt far less restrictive. This meant I was essentially eating a flexitarian diet but I made sure I stayed within the low-meat guidelines. Once I stopped thinking about what I couldn’t eat, and focused on what I could eat instead, I found it was possible to continue following a low-meat diet. But it did take a significant shift to start seeing meat as an additional extra rather than the basis for most of my main meals. Sticking to a low-meat diet Professor Scarborough says it’s not surprising I found the experience tough going. “We know that even people who really want to reduce their meat consumption find it difficult as our policies, food settings and society is set up in many ways to promote meat eating,” he says. “Our only hope of making big changes to the environmental impact of our diet is for governments to implement policies that make sustainable diets easier for people to choose and maintain.” In other words, don’t beat yourself up if you have tried and failed to go vegan or vegetarian in the past; your willpower isn’t to blame when our food system is designed around meat eaters. Having reduced my meat consumption for a week, I know it’s not easy but I now feel more confident that I can keep it going. Following a low-meat, rather than no-meat, diet means I can reduce my impact on the planet without feeling hard done by. I may not have done Veganuary this year, but Meatless March is looking much more likely. 5 top tips to eat less meat Want to start eating a low-meat diet? Check out Dr Becker’s expert tips: Focus on reducing your red meat intake first. It’s the most damaging to our health and the most damaging to the environment, so giving it up first will make the biggest difference. Giving up red meat can also help you give up other meats. Research shows the effort you first make to give up red meat isn’t as much when you want to stop eating others. So, if you can quit steak, it becomes a lot easier to give up bacon, then chicken, and so on. Change your own food environment to avoid straying from your good intentions. Use up the meat products in your fridge or portion them up and freeze for later so you can start with a clean slate. Plan your meals in advance. This stops you shopping when you’re experiencing a meat craving and are more likely to put it in your basket. Stick with it. Research shows 81 per cent of those taking part in Veganuary maintain a ‘dramatic reduction’ in their meat consumption six months later. My own research has found that even if people don’t stick to their no-meat diet completely, they still reduce their liking of meat after just one month.
Which diet is the most environmentally friendly?
Find out what your diet is doing to the planet and if going vegan really is the most environmentally friendly choice.
Your diet has a huge impact on the planet. From overfishing to rainforests being ploughed up for soy plantations, the food we choose to eat can have a far-reaching effect. Is your diet negatively affecting the planet without you realising? Keto may be good for gains – all that protein – but livestock alone accounts for 11.2 per cent of the entire world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Going vegan obviously cuts out meat and dairy products, but plant-based alternatives can have their own issues; almonds, for example, need 130 pints of water to produce one glass of almond milk. Before you decide on the way you want to eat, find out how your diet could be impacting the environment – and if, given this information, you should switch. Is going vegan best for the planet? Yes, essentially. A new study by Oxford University found vegan diets massively reduce our impact on the environment – they lead to 75 per cent less greenhouse gases, water pollution and land use than a meat-eater’s diet. Vegan diets also reduce the destruction of wildlife by 66 per cent and water use by 54 per cent. But we know going vegan isn’t perfect. Plant-based milks do have lower carbon emissions and use less land than dairy milk, but they’re a very ‘thirsty’ product that needs a lot of water. Vegans are often accused of contributing to deforestation, too, as forests are razed to make way for soy crops. But in fact, humans only eat six per cent of the soy produced, while 81 per cent goes to feed animals like cows, pigs and chickens. Studies repeatedly find that veganism is the best diet to follow if you’re concerned about the environment – if we all went vegan, this would reportedly cut food-related CO2 emissions by 68 per cent within 15 years, allowing us to limit global warming to just 2°C. A vegan diet can be good for you, too, reducing high blood pressure and your waistline. However, going vegan is a big commitment and may not be right for everybody. Find out more about vegan diets and the environment in this article. How environmentally friendly is being vegetarian? Vegetarians still eat dairy and eggs, but meat is definitely off the menu – this makes vegetarianism a very eco-friendly diet. In fact, Dutch researchers discovered giving up meat could reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by 34 per cent, and another study found going vegetarian could reduce your water footprint by 55 per cent. The issue is dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation says dairy production is responsible for a shocking 1.7 billion tonnes of global CO2 emissions a year, nearly double that produced by aviation (3.4 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively). And the biggest gas among those emissions is methane. Methane is released in cow burps and manure, and has 28 times the ‘warming power’ of carbon dioxide. But the dairy industry has a plan. A four-year trial is now taking place in the UK to find out whether feeding cows a daffodil extract can reduce methane production, while Canadian farmers are breeding ‘climate-friendly cows’ that are genetically modified to belch less methane. If you do decide to go vegetarian, reducing the amount of dairy you consume is a good idea. Or switch to plant-based alternatives until low-carbon cows are a reality. Are high-protein diets bad for the environment? High-protein diets typically involve eating a lot of meat. The Atkins diet is considered the original low-carb, high-protein diet, and focuses on eating animal proteins like chicken, fish, lamb and beef, while the ketogenic diet, or keto for short, focuses on eating animal fats. Other high-protein diets include the Dukan diet and the carnivore diet, which both restrict fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates. In addition to the negative impacts on your health, like a severe lack of nutrients, meat-heavy diets have the biggest effect on the environment. New research found keto-style diets had the highest carbon emissions – around 3kg of CO2 for every 1,000 calories – and the lowest health score. Animal protein is also a very inefficient use of the planet’s resources. Research shows it takes nearly 100 times as much land to produce one gram of protein from beef or lamb compared with peas or tofu. It also takes nearly 15,500 litres of water to produce 1kg of beef compared with 1,670 litres for 1kg of rice! Want to follow a planet-friendly version of Atkins or keto? There are plenty of protein-rich plant foods, while nuts and avocados are rich in healthy fats – but you may need to eat more to get the same amount as from animal sources. Is a flexitarian diet eco-friendly? You may already be following a flexitarian diet; it’s largely plant-based with small amounts of meat, fish and dairy. The Mediterranean diet is a classic flexitarian diet. Flexitarians rarely eat meat, and a new climate study concluded that if big meat-eaters in the UK reduced their intake by half to 50g a day, it would have the same carbon-cutting effect as taking eight million cars off our roads. So, you don’t need to completely give up meat to be more eco-friendly – cutting down is a great place to start. Mediterranean diets do include fish, but what are the ecological issues around eating it? The UN warns that 90 per cent of the world’s fish stocks are now either overexploited or depleted. What’s more, aquaculture (fish farming) has increased 50-fold. This means we’re eating more farmed fish than ever before. While aquaculture does have a smaller carbon footprint than beef, campaigners say we should still reduce the number of fish we eat for ethical reasons; it may be just as cruel to keep fish in cages as chickens or pigs. What about other diets? The Paleolithic, or Paleo, diet is based on the idea of eating like our ancestors – lots of meat, fish, fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, but no grains, legumes, dairy or processed foods. Although it mimics a pre-industrialised way of eating, it still has an impact on the environment. Researchers recently compared the Paleo diet with Mediterranean diet, Southern European Atlantic diet and the Spanish diet. They concluded the Paleo diet was "an expensive and not nutritionally adequate diet with a high carbon footprint". At the other end of the scale, a macrobiotic diet bans all meat and animal fats, and encourages you to eat plenty of wholegrains, vegetables, seaweed and beans. There are several lifestyle rules to follow, such as only using purified water to drink and cook with. Macrobiotic focuses on organic, seasonal, locally grown produce but the very restrictive nature of the diet means you miss out on some vitamins and minerals. While it is better for the environment than many other diets, it may not be practical for you. How can I eat to help the environment? There are so many ways you can change your diet to benefit the planet. You could give up meat completely and go vegan or make a number of small changes that add up. For example, you could give up red meat for one meal a week – if everyone in the UK did this, it would cut our carbon emissions by 8.4 per cent. Choosing sustainable foods is good for you and the planet, or you can go one step further and follow the planetary-health diet (PHD). The PHD is the first diet that combines human health benefits with those for the environment. The result is a largely plant-based diet, but one that encourages us to eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables for a greater nutrient intake and to avoid relying on one or two crops. Eating locally grown, seasonal foods can help reduce our carbon emissions and going organic means you won’t be contributing to the overuse of pesticides and artificial fertilisers, which often end up in our waterways. Veganism really is the best way to eat if you’re concerned about the environment, but it does involve a complete change of lifestyle. Going flexitarian (plant-based with small amounts of meat and dairy) may be easier for most of us to adopt – and a diet that enables more of us to ‘eat green’ will have the greatest impact on the planet. At the end of the day the most sustainable diet is one that you can stick to, both for your health and the environment. Further reading: What would happen if everyone went vegan? How to switch to a vegan diet A week without avocados: my life on a strictly British plate What are greenhouse gases? 10 tips for reducing your single-use plastic The facts about food miles Mediterranean diet This page was reviewed on 18th November 2024. All health content on goodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
How to recycle (nearly) every item in your home
Not sure what goes in your recycling bin? You’re not alone – the Good Food Nation 2024 survey revealed 14% of us can't recycle everything we want to. So, we found out which items you can recycle, from aluminium foil to yogurt pots.
Rinsing out a tin can and putting it in the recycling bin is now second nature to many of us, but what about those bits and pieces you’re not so sure about? Can you recycle crisp packets? Do light bulbs go in with the rest of the glass? And is there a definitive answer on pizza boxes? Luckily, you can recycle almost every item in your home – you just need to know how and, most importantly, where. Why are we still confused about recycling? The simple answer is it’s a confusing issue! Several studies and reports over the past few years have highlighted key problems for shoppers, such as being unsure what the symbols on packaging mean, what the proper recycling guidelines are, and the differences in recycling collections across the UK. This has led to the term ‘wishcycling’; putting items you’re not sure about in the recycling bin in the hope they can be recycled. But this could contaminate the whole lorry load, so everything gets sent to landfill rather than being recycled. If you’re not sure what to do, this guide will help but always check with your local council to find out what can and cannot be recycled where you live. Organisations like Recycle Now can also help you find local recycling points for different items. The most common items we’re not sure about The Good Food Nation survey revealed the most common items we find difficult to recycle are soft plastics, electrical items and hard plastics. But these can be safely and successfully recycled, along with many other items you might not be aware of. Soft plastics This doesn’t mean items like standard milk bottles but rather thin, flexible plastics such as bread bags, crisp packets, salad bags and film lids. Only 12% of local councils currently collect soft plastics but the majority of UK supermarkets have now signed up to a scheme to collect these types of plastics. Do the ‘scrunch test’ to check if your item is suitable – scrunch it up into a ball and if it pings back, it’s most likely a soft plastic. Some items will also tell you on the packaging if it can be recycled at a larger supermarket. And, as with all recycling, make sure it’s clean and empty before dropping it off at a collection point. When it comes to cling film, it's not currently widely recycled as it's too thin and can get caught in the machinery. So it most likely goes in your rubbish bin, then ends up in landfill. Ask your local authority if they do have any way to recycle it or avoid using it altogether; you can swap cling film for beeswax wraps or reusable silicone lids. Household and hard plastics Only 44% of Brits recycle their plastic packaging, so there’s lots of room for improvement, but not every type of plastic can go in the recycling bin. Check if your local council will collect items like yogurt pots, plastic tubs and takeaway trays, or whether you need to take them to larger household recycling centres. Not many of us know that hard plastics, such as patio furniture, storage boxes or kids’ toys can also be recycled. It’s unlikely your council will collect them, but you can drop them off at a local recycling centre. You could also donate toys to charity so even more children get to enjoy them. Health and beauty items Items like shampoo bottles, shower gel containers and moisturiser tubs can probably be put into your household recycling bin (obviously check first) but what about empty lipsticks? Travel-size toiletries? Pill blister packs? The good news is they can be recycled, but the even better news is you could get a reward for doing so! Several big brands now offer shoppers an incentive to recycle their health and beauty empties. The Recycle at Boots scheme, Kiehl’s rewards programme and Bring It Back by Lush will turn your used items into treats such as loyalty points, vouchers or money off your next purchase. There are other schemes available, such as Maybelline’s make-up recycling programme or the pill blister pack collection scheme at Superdrug, but there’s no physical reward – just the wonderful feeling of helping the environment. Small electrical items Brits throw away 103,000 tonnes of electricals every year, creating a new category known as e-waste. Not only does this simply sit in landfill, valuable resources inside those items (copper cables, steel casings, gold or aluminium parts) cannot be stripped and recycled. Some local councils may collect small electrical items such as toothbrushes, vapes or mobile phones, but check in advance before leaving them out on the curb. You can also search for local recycling centres on Recycle Your Electricals. Many shops will now recycle your old electricals, thanks to the Retailer Take-back Scheme. So, if you need a new toaster, for example, they’ll take back your old one and recycle it for you. Again, check in advance and empty out any old crumbs… Foil and metal containers Recycling food and drink cans is one of the best things you can do for the environment. Steel and aluminium can be repeatedly recycled without losing quality – 75% of the aluminium ever made is still in circulation – while recycling cans uses 95% less energy than creating them from their raw materials. And you can crush cans before putting them in the recycling. It used to be thought this made them harder to recycle, but sorting facilities now separate them from other recyclables using electricity rather than by size or shape. Foil food trays, like takeaway containers or disposable BBQs, can be recycled, as can biscuit tins, aerosol cans and aluminium tubes like tomato purée. Just make sure they’re empty and remove any plastic caps. Kitchen foil can be recycled, too, but scrunch up any scraps into the size of a tennis ball before putting it in the bin. This makes it easier for the sorting machines to detect it (and to play cricket at home). Clothes and textiles If you’re not already selling your unwanted clothes on sites like eBay or Vinted, you can take them to a local charity shop – reusing is always better than recycling. You could also drop them at a textiles bank, usually found in a supermarket or local carpark, or take them to H&M and collect a gift voucher for your next shop. But don’t just throw them away; 10,000 items of clothing are sent to landfill every five minutes in the UK. And what about bed sheets and blankets? You can take them to a local recycling centre, along with duvets and pillows, or find your nearest branch of Dunelm who offer a textile take-back scheme. Again, clean items only please. Food and garden waste If your local council doesn’t collect organic waste – essentially food and garden waste – you could compost it at home. No garden? No worries. Search for a community composting scheme near you or take it to your local recycling centre. You could also sign up to a community sharing app such as Olio. You snap a photo of your unwanted food (perhaps you’re going away or clearing out cupboards), upload it to Olio and people living nearby can request and collect it. To help prevent leftover food from local cafés, shops and restaurants going to waste, download the Karma or Too Good to Go apps and enjoy dinner at a discount. Paper and cardboard Even though cardboard and paper waste are widely recycled in this country, there are some common mistakes we keep making. Did you know brown paper should be recycled with cardboard, not paper, otherwise it causes flecks in the new paper? Or that envelopes with windows can now be recycled? Wrapping paper always causes family ‘discussions’ at Christmas but you can do another type of scrunch test – if it stays scrunched up, it goes in the paper recycling but if it springs open, it contains foil and should be binned. Always check if your local council will accept wrapping paper, as some is too low-quality to be recycled. Finally, when it comes to pizza boxes, the simple answer is to use your judgement. If it’s just a bit stained or greasy, this is fine but if the box is covered in cheese and bits of food, it cannot be recycled. However, you can still remove the lid and recycle that. Glass items Glass is one of the most recycled materials in Europe, but not every type of glass can go in the recycling bin. Broken drinking glasses have a different melting point to glass normal jars and bottles, so can contaminate the whole load. For now, smashed glasses go in your normal waste bin. Energy-saving light bulbs can be recycled at most local recycling centres, but older incandescent light bulbs must go in your waste bin. They contain fine wires that are difficult to separate during recycling, so the costs are too high to make it worthwhile. Is recycling really the answer? There’s plenty of debate over whether it is worth recycling, but the fact is recycling helps reduce the need for natural resources, creates jobs and protects the environment, plus many other benefits. But it’s also true that if we can reduce the amount and type of packaging we purchase, we won’t need to recycle as much. The Good Food Nation survey found nearly a quarter of us are more likely to buy something if it comes in sustainable packaging, but until every manufacturer and producer makes this possible, find out which food packaging to avoid to help reduce your recycling, and how you can be a better recycler. More like this 8 ways to be a better recycler Is 'closed loop' the future of recycling? 5 pieces of food packaging to avoid How to recycle your electricals and appliances How to reduce food waste How to reduce food packaging waste Rosalind Ryan is a journalist and editor specialising in health, lifestyle and environmental issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience writing for publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Healthy magazine and Women’s Health. Images: Getty
Olive oil prices are soaring across the globe, giving it the fitting nickname ‘liquid gold’. But what’s behind this increase and what can you do to keep costs down?
Supermarket shoppers from Birmingham to Bologna are all currently asking the same question: why is olive oil so expensive? The price of this kitchen staple has jumped significantly, with UK shoppers now paying around £7.40 a litre – a rise of more than 40% compared to a year ago – and US consumers paying about $10 for just 500ml. Some experts say the price hike is due to extreme weather conditions reducing olive harvests across Europe, while suppliers have accused supermarkets of over-inflating prices. So, what’s really going on and what does it mean for your weekly shop? Why is olive oil so expensive right now? Spain, Italy and Greece produce more than 60% of all the olive oil in the world – anything that affects prices in these countries will have a knock-on effect across the globe. For example, when the cost of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in Spain hit an unprecedented €902.5 per 100kg in January, the repercussions were felt worldwide. Shoppers in the UK are now paying £7.80 for a litre of ‘white label’ EVOO (such as Tesco or Sainsbury's own brand) with premium brands fetching up to £16 a litre. Normal or ‘classic’ olive oil prices aren’t much lower; the Office of National Statistics found they have more than doubled since 2018 and look set to keep rising. In America, prices have risen by around 18% but the North American Olive Association says this may be because US markets are “largely insulated” from the higher prices seen in Europe, due to less demand. Even so, shoppers have seen a 750ml bottle of EVOO go from roughly $9 to $11 in just one year. The main reason for these price increases is a decline in global production. According to industry publication Olive Oil Times, just under 2 million tonnes are expected to be produced this year, 23% below the average of the past four years. In Spain, the world’s largest producer of olive oil, only 664,000 tonnes were produced last year, the second consecutive year of low production. This dramatic drop has been firmly blamed on extreme weather events across Europe, such as warmer winters and heatwaves caused by climate change. If olive trees flower too early in the year, they can be damaged by sudden frosts, while spring heatwaves may also kill off young blossoms. Years of drought, wildfires and diseases including Xylella fastidiosa – a bacterium that destroys olive trees – have also taken their toll. The impact of these dwindling harvests and rising prices on olive oil producers depends mainly on their size. Larger producers may have reserves they can use to maintain supply (although some industry insiders say these are also running low) or they can import olive oil from other countries such as Argentina or Chile. But smaller producers have seen demand for their olive oil drop off as costs rise and consumers look elsewhere for cheaper alternatives. Some Spanish farmers have even accused supermarkets of inflating prices, increasing profits at the expense of shoppers, while they’re left struggling. What does this mean for consumers? Bottom line – you’ll be paying a lot more for olive oil until prices return to normal. British olive oil fans are also dealing with the double whammy of rising prices and the impact of Brexit. A year after the UK left the European Union, olive oil prices rose by an average of 20%, and economists say post-Brexit border tariffs mean we’ll have to pay an extra £2billion on goods brought in from the EU, including olive oil. Consumers also need to be on the look-out for fake olive oil, as sky-high prices have led to a rise in black-market liquid gold. Criminal gangs have now started selling lower grade olive oils mixed with different plant oils, such as sunflower or rapeseed oil, colourings and other ingredients, then labelled as EVOO. In November 2023, Spanish and Italian police seized over 260,000 litres of fake EVOO. This was found to contain ‘lampante oil’ – literally, lamp oil in Italian – a very low-grade olive oil that’s not considered fit for human consumption. Other gangs have been shoplifting olive oil en masse, leading to the unusual sight of bottles being fitted with security tags or larger bottles chained together and padlocked to shelves. Will olive oil prices drop? Things are looking up for farmers, which means prices should start to come down for consumers. In September 2024, The Grocer reported that more favourable weather this summer means a ‘bumper harvest’ across the Mediterranean. Spanish olive oil production is expected to hit 1.4 million tonnes, putting it back up to normal, while global production is set to reach 3.13 million tonnes. However, this new olive oil won’t be on our shelves until January 2025 (at least) so prices will remain above average until then. And it’s unlikely that the UK government will follow Spain’s example and cut the sales tax on olive oil to entice shoppers. But there are plenty more oils you can use in the meantime. It’s also unlikely that prices will drop significantly for US customers - in 2023, America imported over $2 billion worth of olive oil. The US is responsible for 35% of all global olive oil imports, so States-side shoppers are still subject to European market forces. But there are plenty more oils you can use to keep costs down. What to do if you can’t afford olive oil Olive oil may be a kitchen storecupboard staple but it’s not the only cooking oil available. Rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are ideal for baking, grilling and sautéing, while peanut oil is great for stir-fry dishes, and sesame oil is best when added as a finishing touch to salads, noodles and stir fries due to its delicate flavour. To help olive oil stocks stretch further, you can now buy it blended with other plant oils. For example, you might see sunflower or vegetable oil mixed with a low percentage of olive oil. These oils generally have a wide range of uses but the taste may vary according to the ratios used, so try a few to find one you like. When it comes to cost, plain vegetable oil may be the cheapest. This contains a blend of plant oils, including rapeseed, grapeseed, soy and corn, but it may not be the healthiest option. ‘Speciality’ oils like walnut, almond, and avocado oil often come with a hefty price tag, so save these for delicate dishes rather than roast potatoes. Buying in bulk (i.e. 5l bottles) works out much cheaper per use but check you’ve got the space to store this amount of oil. Keep an eye on expiration dates too – cooking oils can go rancid once opened and unused for a long time. Why not team up with a friend to split the cost and volume of any oil you buy? What’s the future of olive oil? Although the olive harvest has increased for 2024/25, the future of olive oil is far from stable. Experts agree that climate change is making it harder for olive trees to survive in hotter, drier conditions, while research shows the number of ‘bad years’ look set to become more frequent in future. Farmers are trying a number of ways to adapt to harsher conditions, such as growing more resilient olive crops or bringing back ancient traditions like planting different crops between trees to stop water draining away. Sadly, this doesn’t guarantee olive oil production will completely recover or tackle climate change, the root cause of the problems. But you can do your bit to help. Find out how to reduce your carbon footprint and start including more sustainable foods in your diet. And keep an eye on the price of liquid gold – if it ever overtakes real gold, the cost to the planet could be much greater. More like this How will extreme heatwaves impact our diet? The facts about 'forever chemicals' in our food What is chlorinated chicken? What would happen if everyone went vegan? Good Food's Planet-Friendlier series Rosalind Ryan is a journalist and editor specialising in health, lifestyle and environmental issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience writing for publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Healthy magazine and Women’s Health.