If you care about the food you eat to the extent that you care about where the ingredients come from, how they are cultivated, how they got to your favorite supermarket and how they end up on your dinner table, you are already practicing sustainable gastronomy. Hurray!
Suggested reading: Food loss and food waste – what is the difference?
Definition:
Sustainable gastronomy is a cuisine that considers the source of ingredients, how the ingredients are grown, how they got to the market and finally the dinner table.
FAO
Why is sustainable gastronomy important?
It has become important and necessary to care about all these because of the problem our food systems are facing. Current food systems are not sustainable because the existing methods we use to produce, process and distribute food make use of excessive resources and generate a lot of waste.
How can you practice sustainable gastronomy?
In case you are wondering “how can I practice sustainability with food?”, then here are three ways you can do so starting from today
Try preparing and eating local cuisines. The ingredients for your local cuisines are more readily available and may be less expensive.
Buy from small-scale and local producers. Are there farmers in your area? How about a small bakery or other small beer producer? Purchase their products as it goes a long way to sustain both humans and the environment.
Avoid food waste. Food waste happens in food service and households. It is a behavioral issue which only needs a change of attitude towards food to curb. Most of food waste happens in households so minimizing food waste can go a really long way to curb the situation.
Suggested reading: 7 simple ways to store fresh produce for longer
Summary
Anyone can practice sustainable gastronomy almost immediately. It will take some effort but it would be worth it in the long run. The next time you want to prepare a meal, think about where you’ll purchase your ingredients, think about how you’ll handle the ingredients and what portion of the food you’ll eat at a time. Then take the right action to make your thoughts a reality.
Related reading: Food sustainability – how can you contribute?
