Go to Local Directory of Food and Drink producers

As we learn that a third of our food is thrown away, our most important advice must be to minimise this waste.  Buy only what you need and make use of leftovers if possible.  On average we bin around £300 worth of waste food per household every year.

Use your freezer effectively; make sure your fridge is at 1 - 5ºC; don't cook more than you will use; compost fruit and veg peelings, teabags and eggshells.  For more hints on cutting down on food waste click here - there's information on the difference between best-before and use-by dates and recipes for leftovers.

If you are confused by the language used in food advertising and packaging - organic, microbiotic, genetically modified, etc - there is a useful jargon buster here.

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Consume Less Meat and Dairy Produce?

The livestock industry generates 8% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, notably methane expelled by cattle, so you could go vegan (vegetarians often eat cheese, eggs and milk), but on the other hand grazing maintains the landscape, soil quality and biodiversity, as well as much of the rural economy.  Probably the best advice is to eat less red meat, which would also benefit our health, and make sure that it is locally produced and preferably organic.  Scientists are working on ways of reducing emissions by changing the diet of cattle.  

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Food Miles

Food and drink from abroad may cost you fewer pounds but bringing it here (‘food miles’) produces the gases that cause global warming – and these environmental costs are rarely reflected in prices. Consider buying produce that is grown nearer home and managing without produce that is out-of-season here.  A quarter of HGV mileage in this country is transporting food, whether from the ports or from home producers. Look out for produce from this part of the UK rather than further afield.

Of course the least travelled food is that you grow yourself - have a look at our Gardening Section.

Labelling

A visit to the shops presents us with a bewildering variety of green, ethical and nutritional labelling claims as companies compete for our cash.  We draw your attention only to those which seem particularly common and useful.  Bear in mind that the assessment of the eco-credentials of a product throughout its life and after-death can be complex and controversial.

Fairtrade

Some food and other products from overseas may earn the farmers excessively low wages. Look out for the Fairtrade label that guarantees disadvantaged producers in the developing world a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production plus a premium invested in social or economic development projects. There are already over 2,000 Fairtrade products on sale in the UK, and the Co-op and Waitrose are leading supporters of the label – all their own label products are Fairtrade. You can shop on-line at Traidcraft.

Other labels such as Equitrade, Good African Coffee, and One Water offer products with similar credentials. Some imported foods are produced at the expense of precious habitats such as tropical rainforest. For example, forest in Borneo and Sumatra is cleared for the production of palm oil, threatening the orang-utan and other species – palm oil can be an ingredient of biscuits, bread, chocolate, crisps, margarine, mayonnaise and muesli. South American beef and soybean production often succeed clearance for timber. Ideally grow your own produce in your garden or allotment, preferably as organically as possible.

Fairtrade vs Food Miles

The choice between, say, Fairtrade produce from Kenya and something similar from Wales may be difficult - do you help make poverty history or fight climate change? Advice is not easy, but bear in mind that some crops from nearer home will have been cultivated in artificially lit and heated greenhouses and that choosing local may harm those in the developing world who are least responsible for the global warming. However, try to avoid Fairtrade produce that has been flown to the UK.  It's probably better not to agonise over the choice, but to concentrate on reducing your own domestic and transport CO2 emissions.

Buying Local

Every £10 spent on locally produced food generates £25 for the local economy, compared with £14 spent with non-local businesses.  To buy local (usually 30-50 miles) produce go to Farmers’ Markets in Abergavenny, Chepstow, Monmouth and Usk are restoring the tradition of local producers bringing their food products, often organic or near-organic, to town to sell to local people.  Click here for times.  Further information, including PYO, here.  Beware of spurious 'local' claims, for example by supermarkets.

Country Markets sell home-made produce at the senior citizens’ centre, Chepstow, and at the RC Church Hall, Porthycarne St, Usk. Click here for times – not available all year.

Labels You Can Trust

After food and health scares, British farmers are now even more anxious to show that their produce is of the highest quality and animal welfare standards. Various labelling schemes for meat, eggs and other produce give the buyer confidence. These include the Leaf Marque which guarantees that the producer manages his inputs and the environment in a responsible way; RSPCA’s Freedom Food label which provides assurance of animal welfare; the Red Tractor label on UK food provides confidence that it has been checked for good practice from the farm to the shop, and can be traced back to its source; the Quality Standard for beef and lamb guarantees succulent and tender meat as well as provenance; Red Lion eggs are from flocks vaccinated against salmonella; the MSC Tick ensures that your fish come from a sustainable fishery.

Meat from animals that have not been stressed by lengthy travel or insensitive killing practices is usually considered better to eat. Local butchers often use local abattoirs and can tell you precisely how and where the animals were raised – ‘traceability’ is the term often used. Local restaurants and even schools meals may use local meat and other produce. 

Organic

Some farmers here and abroad have opted for fully organic production systems. Organic farming uses natural ways to get the best from the land – crop rotation with nitrogen-producing crops and manure to feed the ground, only minimal amounts of natural pesticides, organic feedstuffs, drugs only to treat illness, no GM contamination. The Soil Association is the leading independent certification body – fair trade rules also have to be followed in their scheme. Click here for more information about pesticides. Bear in mind that some organic foods have travelled many miles from abroad to the shop, so they are not as environmentally advantageous as local produce. Riverford deliver boxes of organic vegetables to your door – 19% cheaper than supermarkets is their claim, but they come from Devon. More local sources will appear in our directory if available. 

Many people believe that organic foods and drinks are safer, healthier and tastier, having been produced by these farming methods, though the Food Standards Agency does not endorse the safety and nutrition advantages. Organic food does cost more, though not always a lot more, but if you can afford it you will certainly be helping the environment. Many other producers may not meet the exacting standards for organic certification but take care to come close. Supermarkets often offer you these more environmentally friendly products, though they may still have travelled considerable distances from farm to processor to warehouse to shelf. Buying organic or near-organic from local independent retailers, farm shops, farmers’ markets and country markets keeps the money in the local economy. Local income is spent locally, supporting local jobs and families. You might avoid organic products that have been imported from distant countries, costing many 'food miles' - local and in-season makes most sense. 

 Remember that the beauty of the Monmouthshire countryside relies heavily on the prosperity and good practices of local farmers – buy their produce, especially if it results from more traditional, less intensive, farming methods, perhaps supported by government schemes such as Tir Gofal (to become part of Glastir).

Convenience Food and Packaging

Many of us resort increasingly to frozen food, chilled or pre-cooked meals, perhaps because it sometimes seems cheaper, but more often to save time. Cooking skills that enable meals to be prepared from fresh, nutritious and local food at moderate cost are being lost – press for better food and cookery classes at your children’s school. See our Health Section.  Another way you can help the environment is by considering the amount of packaging on the food and drink that you buy. For a start, avoid or reduce the number of plastic carrier bags that you use, even if they are becoming biodegradeable – reuse cardboard boxes week after week, or buy long-life containers. Buy loose fruit and veg, and consider avoiding products that seem to be over-packaged in comparison with competitors.

And, of course, recycle as much packaging as possible – cans, glass, aluminium foil, paper, cardboard and, increasingly, plastic. See our Waste Section.