It is a fact that in recent years the attention to the issues of environmental sustainability has been increasing, both from the point of view of environmental policies undertaken by various governments, both from the point of view of individual initiatives taken by citizens, who are increasingly attentive to the environment and the impact that their daily actions can have on it.
This is certainly the right path to take because if it is true that certain decisions can only be taken by the various institutions, whether community or national, a lot also depends on the attitudes of the individual, on his choices, such as attention when purchasing.
Buy products made using renewables, as an example Regina toilet paper, or shampoo in refillable packs or products with packaging made with recycled materials are examples of responsible purchasing, which can also stimulate companies to pay greater attention to sustainability.
Still in this area, a theme that has recently been given a lot of importance is that of the so-called sustainable food spending. Let's try to understand what it is.
How much food is wasted every year?
In February 2023 was celebrated National Food Waste Prevention Day event which, as you can easily imagine, has as its main objective that of raising people's awareness of responsible behaviors that contribute to reduce at a minimum, yes waste of food also remembering that one of the sustainable development objectives of the UN Agenda is to halve food waste by 2030.
Speaking of this event, WWF Italia has published some rather interesting data on its website, including what every Italian wastes 27 kg of food every year, a significant and also worrying quantity. The good news is that the trend is improving, however. The definitive data of 2022 in fact it indicates that there was a 12% reduction in waste compared to the previous year. A lot can and must still be done, but the data is encouraging because it indicates that Italians are increasingly inclined to waste less, both to save money, but also because they increasingly care about environmental issues.
How do you do “sustainable food shopping?”
Una sustainable food spending it is certainly a far-sighted choice and should be encouraged. But how can it be achieved? In this regard, the various tips from can be useful One Planet Food, the program that the WWF has dedicated to sustainable nutrition.
One of these tips is to buy as much as possible local products which, in addition to being fresher, do not require excessively long transport to reach shops and supermarkets. This limits carbon dioxide emissions related to the transport of goods.
Another tip to take into consideration is to give priority seasonal fruit and vegetables. By doing so, cultivations in greenhouses are reduced, which often involve very high energy expenditure with consequent emissions of harmful substances.
In general, then, priority should be given to: products from organic farming, a type of cultivation that tends to minimize the environmental impact avoiding the use of chemicals.
You should then avoid purchasing products with excessive packaging, perhaps choosing bulk products and those "on tap" when possible. In fact, a large part of the waste consists of packaging.
Obviously it's very important reduce waste, trying as much as possible recycle what is left over and cooking smaller portions. These seem like trivial interventions, but in the long term they can be particularly useful.
Finally, it should not be forgotten that the waters coming from our aqueducts are excellent and well controlled, drink tap water, even using a purifier as an additional filter, reduces the use of plastic bottles, the production of which, not to mention the transport and disposal, have a strong environmental impact.
