FOOD + DRINK
THOUGHTFUL FOODIE
THE RISE OF THE ‘ THOUGHTFULVORE ’ - BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR PUTTING MORE THOUGHT INTO EXACTLY WHAT WE ’ RE EATING TO NOURISH OUR FUTURE , ONE MINDFUL BITE AT A TIME .
Over the past decade , the concept of sustainability has become a permanent part of our lives . A buzzword in our modern vernacular , we apply sustainability to everything from fuel and materials to the everyday actions we undergo . One area in which sustainability now goes hand in hand is food . Knowing exactly where our food has come from and how it arrived on our plate is now more important than ever .
SUSTAINABLE EATING DEFINED
Being a thoughfulvore means making conscious choices that prioritise the wellbeing of the global environment , our local community and our health . By being more thoughtful when it comes to choosing our food , together we can collectively contribute to a more balanced and regenerative food system , and an evermore harmonious relationship between humans and nature .
SAVOURING THE FLAVOUR OF SUSTAINABILITY
The connection between food and the environment is profound . It reaches deep into ecosystems , cultures and economies . As consumers , we possess the power to reshape the way we produce and consume food , influencing permanent , positive change . When we treat every meal as an opportunity , we choose a path that nurtures not only our bodies but also the intricate web of life that sustains us and our planet .
“ We are living through a time when unprecedented attention is being given to the topic of sustainability , and rightly so ,” says Lizzie Rowe from The Sustainable Food Trust ( www . sustainablefoodtrust . org ) “ We face a threat to our very existence in the form of the climate and biodiversity crises . However , when it comes to sustainable diets , the media has tended to boil down this focus into a two-way argument - that between an animal-protein versus a plant-based diet . The story tends to read ‘ eating meat is bad , being vegan is good ’ and sometimes the ‘ meat ’ in this argument refers specifically to red meat . However , there is a danger of reducing a hugely complex situation into this single narrative .”
This black and white idea can lead to the problematic assumption that so long as you ’ re eating a plant-based diet , you ’ re saving the planet . This , of course , isn ’ t true . “ There ’ s no point in being vegan for environmental reasons if you are devouring daily avocados with a huge carbon footprint and associated deforestation , or knocking back almond ‘ milk ’ that fuels a monoculture , destroying biodiversity and killing billions of bees . Nor should you whizz around in a plane all you want because you have been told that ‘ a vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth ’,” says Rowe .
This single narrative fails to recognise conscientious farmers and omnivorous consumers who are part of the solution rather than the problem . Rowe goes on to explain how animal farmers should not be villainized , but instead , agroecological farmers and the consumers who support them should be supported more . Where grazing livestock “ enables the maintenance and redeployment of natural grasslands , maximises the production of spontaneous legumes and therefore soil fertility management , it will then contribute to the restoration of biodiversity ( including the survival of small mammals like field mice and voles ), climate mitigation and high-quality animal production .”
“ If you don ’ t want to eat animal products , that ’ s OK ,” says Rowe . “ So long as you think about the plant-based food you are eating – how it was produced and how it got to you . If you want to eat meat , this is also fine , only if you think about where it came from , and how the animals were raised and killed .”
A great way to ensure that the highest of standards are met is by looking for the Red Tractor logo on our foods - another hugely important reason to buy British food - especially meat products , is welfare . Red Tractor is considered world-leading in farming standards , which is why when you see the Red Tractor logo you can be confident your food and drink is traceable , safe and farmed with care . To be Red Tractor assured , beef , pork , poultry and lamb farmers must work tirelessly to maintain a rigorous set of standards that keep animal welfare at their core and ensure the organisation can deliver full supply chain traceability and safety .
There are of course economic barriers to thoughtful eating . For example , ‘ unhealthy ’ foods are approximately three times cheaper than healthy ones in the UK . The poorest 10 % of UK households would need to spend 75 % of their disposable income in order to eat a healthy diet . “ These are symptoms of a broken food system that must be remedied if we are to achieve a sustainable future for all ,” says Rowe . “ In the meantime , for those of us who can already afford to , we must be more thoughtful in our consumer choices .”
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