Buy Local Seasonal Food
Food grown relatively near where you live and eaten in season is likely to have a smaller carbon footprint than food transported over long distances or grown out of season in heated greenhouses.
It is also tastier and healthier - as soon as plants are picked they start to lose nutrients and become less sweet.
Look out for products that are grown near you or at least labelled ‘grown in the UK’.
Look out for labels such as the LEAF marque or ‘certified organic’ - signs of environmentally-friendly growing.
Avoid out-of-season fruit and vegetables (eg strawberries in winter). They clock up a lot of food miles and can be low on taste and even lower on nutrients. The Vegetarian Society website tells you what is in season when.
Farmers’ markets sell food direct from producers and can be cheaper than supermarkets.
Get locally grown, fresh veg delivered.
Farm-direct.com is a small, local business that delivers seasonal UK-grown fruit and veg at good prices with minimal plastic.
The Market Barrow is an online farm shop (an offshoot of the excellent Stroud Green farmers’ market) delivering quality, sustainable produce to postcodes across North & East London.
Growingcommunities.org (based in Hackney) brings locally grown, fresh, organic, seasonal veg and fruit in different size bags to collection points every week.
Riverford and Abel & Cole are national, organic suppliers delivering seasonal veg and fruit.
Farmdrop.com delivers seasonal veg and fruit, pays farmers a fair price and ensures they follow environmentally sound techniques.
Oddbox delivers – direct from farmers in the UK and abroad - quality fresh fruit and veg that risks becoming waste because it doesn’t meet cosmetic supermarket standards
Planet Organic, online and with a shop in Essex Road, promotes organic, natural and sustainable products with the aim of acting ethically for its customers and communities.
A handy list of local produce markets and shops…
Islington Farmers Market
Sundays 10am on Chapel Street N1
Stoke Newington Farmers Market
Saturday 10am-2pm at St Pauls Church, Stoke Newington High Street
Newington Green Fruit & Veg
109 Newington Green Road, N1 4QY
Seasons & Blossoms
92 Highbury Park, N5 2XE
Ridley Road Market
Daily except Sundays, Dalston E8
Archway Market
At the Archway end of Holloway Road - Thursday 11am-7pm & Sunday 11am-6pm
Stroud Green Market
Sundays between 10-2:30 at Stroud Green School, Perth Rd N43HB
Chapel Market
Tuesday to Sunday at the Angel, N1
Learn more
And become a local, seasonal eating pro.
The US website Greeneatz has information on the carbon footprint of different foods and on cooking methods – simmering food on a hob uses less energy, and microwaves use half the power of ovens.
If you want to delve deeper into the issues surrounding food and climate, a good place to start is the independent Food Climate Research Network
The BBC diet Climate Change Food Calculator claims to help you work out the carbon footprint of your diet.
