How To Make Sustainable Food Choices At The Supermarket

Image: Tara Clark

What can I do to be sustainable? As the issues revolving around climate change become mainstream topics, this is a question that many of us are asking ourselves these days. In some situations the answer seems obvious- choosing to walk instead of driving. But, when it comes to choosing sustainable food options, the right answer isn’t always so clear. When there are entire aisles dedicated to milk or multiple tomatoes to choose from deciding which one is the most sustainable food choice can feel overwhelming.

Frank Holleman has had his own experiences feeling overwhelmed by choices at the supermarket. As the co-founder of Fork Ranger and advocate for systemic change within the food industry, he shares his struggles to shop for sustainable food and the tips he’s learned along the way. Two big takeaways from his TedX talk is the importance of learning to adopt simple lifestyle changes. And, that these sustainable changes are a lot easier than we might think.

In 2018 food was the #1 item thrown out in landfills amounting to 63 million tons of food waste.

Frank’s talk highlights some of the ways that he’s learned to shop and eat sustainably to reduce food waste and his carbon footprint. Here are other tips that we’ve learned to make sustainable food choices at the supermarket.

Bring your own tote and produce bags.
Invest in a reusable water bottle
Look for beverages in glass, aluminum or paper containers.
Look for prepared food items in recyclable packaging like aluminum, paper or glass.
Choose produce and other food items that are local.
Eat more plant-based meals.
Write to companies asking them to use sustainable packaging options. *Use this template.
Buy in bulk to minimize packaging.
Make a shopping list to minimize food waste.