When it comes to sustainable food, there’s a lot more bubbling up than those two little words. But, what does sustainable food actually mean? And how do you know what goes on your plate is sustainable?
Sustainable food is made up of two parts:
- the actual food itself
- how it’s grown, harvested and gets to your plate
So to be sustainable, food must provide nutrition for us, as part of a balanced diet and also more globally – helping wider social, economic and environmental issues.
Before that feels insurmountable, let’s take a moment. In this blog we’ll take you through the definition of sustainable food, show you what Mindful Chef is doing, and give you tricks to think about your own sustainable food journey; like reducing food waste, eating more plant-based meals a week, and piling your plates with more seasonal veggies any time.
How is sustainable food grown?
Look after the land as if you want to farm forever? We couldn’t agree more. So do our amazing sustainable suppliers all over the UK, who supply your fresh LEAF Marque accredited veg, 100% British meat and free-range chicken and eggs.
For food to be sustainable we have to take a bigger picture view.
- everything from the energy used to plant, grow and harvest
- water
- energy we use for transport and delivery
- the chemicals that farmers use on their crops
- all the greenhouse gas emissions generated from farm to fork
- how the land is used – and reused
We believe in the health of the land we use for farming; encouraging soil health, supporting the birds and the bees. To see how we’re changing the field with our Regenerative Farming Program watch our video with Myles and Giles
How can sustainable food help my body?
Eating sustainably means eating more in tune with the seasons. It’s fresher, more nutritious, and kinder to the planet. What does sustainable food mean? Not packing our supermarket shelves with Kenyan beans all year round, and asparagus from Peru.
We know we can’t be perfect, but we’ll get off our sustainable food soap box for a moment.
How Mindful Chef is a sustainable food business?
At Mindful Chef, we’re a proud B Corp, so making your food sustainable is written in our DNA.
B Corp is a collective of like-minded businesses that believe in balancing purpose and profit; helping meet high standards of social & environmental performance. in order to transform our economic system for the better. See our B Corp page here
“When we started Mindful Chef in 2015 we did so with the intention of creating a sustainable business that we could be proud of.”
Quote from Myles and Giles
For everyone at Mindful Chef, eating seasonally is key to calling ourselves sustainable. Food miles – and the time it takes from farm to plate matter – because reducing them means less C02 in the atmosphere. And a whole heap of taste! Plus, more nutrients to get your body working optimally.
Food sustainability – Net Zero
Net Zero 2030 is our mission, and we’re on the way to it with initiatives large and small. When you buy a Mindful Chef meal you’re saving more CO2 than going to a supermarket, we offer a range of Low Carbon Meals and we’re a certified carbon neutral business.
Food sustainability – Packaging and recycling
Your box and cool box are 100% recyclable, and keep your box cool. But when it comes to proper food sustainability, we know we’ve got a way to go. There’s a fine balance between safe and sorry. No one wants a funky chicken fillet. Keep a lookout for more packaging wins with our latest recycling guide here
Any more questions? Go to our FAQ page here
Food sustainability – Suppliers
Our superhero suppliers make Mindful Chef who we are: they get all that lovely flavour on your plate and we can’t thank them enough. When you choose sustainable food from us, you’re helping champion our great British suppliers, who in turn champion their own sustainable farming practices.
Like Barfoots who supply your squash, sweet potatoes and so much more; The Tomato Stall bringing aubergines and tomatoes to the table; Ocean Fish making sure you eat seasonal species, right through to Walsh Mushrooms, Ben Rigby Game (hello, pheasant) and even the British Quinoa Company.
Want to know more about Mindful Chef and sustainable food? Read our 2020 Sustainability Report here.
Yet to try healthy eating made easy? Get £25% off your first four recipe boxes by entering code BLOG25X4 at checkout. Mindful Chef healthy recipe boxes help you to cook delicious nutritious meals, in as little as 15 minutes. Each box contains recipe instructions, pre-portioned ingredients and responsibly sourced, seasonal British produce.
