Food Sustainability

It has been the hot topic for years now and the message could not be any clearer. Finding sustainable solutions throughout our day-to-day lives is paramount to the health of our planet and in turn to us. It is something we can all do as Anne-Marie Bonneau, a zero waste chef shares, ‘We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.’ So how do we do it...

Our awareness of what we consume and what we buy has evolved dramatically in recent years. As we become more accustomed to the knowledge of the effects that certain products have on the environment, it is giving us a better understanding on what is right to buy. This not only has a positive impact on our environment, but our well-being too. The mental effects that this has on our bodies, gives us the optimism to keep up the trend and set the pace for a new revolution in shopping.

Eating in season is a great place to start. It is not only the physical items that have an impact, but also about where they have come from. There are many fantastic brands that commit to zero carbon footprint in their products from overseas, which can come at a price. For a simpler solution, buying from your local bakers, butchers and greengrocers can reduce these concerns drastically.

Going local is the new way to shop too. The new trend sees us taking our shopping habits back to the 1950s. As much as quick scan check-outs and contactless services continue to grow in the UK, there are many of us craving a personal experience when shopping. Ones that have us becoming part of the community, which in turn will help our local towns to thrive.

Many of the local shops are beautifully designed too. Zero-waste stores are popping up across the country and are entwined as a traditional shop with a modern edge. The use of glass jars hand labelled, filled with dried goods of pastas and nuts. Wicker baskets overflowing with the local farmer’s vegetables. They are filled with small gems of soap bars and wooden brushes to inspire us to make these smaller changes.

After all, a trend such as this must be stylish for it to take off. Re-usable shopping bags are making a comeback. Woven wicker baskets with handles or organic cotton totes with a printed or woven design are becoming the fashion statement that is as practical as they come.

Linen and netted bags are incredibly useful as well. Finding items that are not covered in plastic, can need other forms of protection. Choosing such fabrics as linen can keep your bread lightly covered until you make it home. Easily washable and small to store away, these can be used for years to come.

Our homes are also the perfect place to live more sustainably too. Kitchen window sills are a glorious environment for growing herbs. The sunlight they receive throughout the day combined with the natural heat and moisture of the kitchen provide the ideal elements for them to grow and flourish.

Vegetable patches in your garden are a wonderfully therapeutic way to get outside and reap rewards. Although it requires a lot of dedication to grow your own produce, your well-being is lifted when you see the abundance of ripe fruits and vegetables grow before your eyes. Their tastes can be a lot richer and fresher too. Inspiring us to also make the most of these items and get us cooking amazing meals to show off our hard work.

Keeping all this produce fresh is of prime importance if we are to make sure things do not go to waste either. Technology has become smarter and more intuitive and can work seamlessly with the natural world of food to create a synergy of keeping things fresh.

Siemens cooling appliances with hyperFresh allow your fruits, vegetables, meats and more to stay fresher for longer, thanks to its adaptable temperature settings that give the perfect amount of humidity to your fridge spaces. Keeping your salad leaves crisp and your carrots crunchy.

But it does not stop there. Freezers are the perfect environment for surplus food and with Siemens BigBox the extra capacity means you can store more and need not worry about getting in extra food from your weekly shop.

Lesser known appliances like the vacuum drawer can also help extend storage life of food such as opened bags of coffee beans or opened cereal packets. With vacuum sealing - a low oxygen environment is produced which means that freshly vacuum sealed foods remain fresher and edible for longer when stored correctly.

Vacuum drawers also mean less waste. Items such as a half an avocado will not go brown and can be eaten up to 3 weeks later when sealed. Avoid freezer burn. When using vacuum sealing for frozen foods, they are have less of a chance of becoming freezer burnt when stored correctly. Jar and bottles can also be resealed once opened so they can sit back on the shelf as you had them before. Find out how this innovative kitchen appliance could become your favourite kitchen accessory here.

However you feel you can take on the challenges of becoming more aware of sustainability, it is important to recognise that just doing something, even if small, will still have a positive impact on the world around us.