Slow food, freeganism and foodsharing… These new words appear in the media, our acquaintances pronounce them, and gradually we realize that we are talking about how to make food useful not only for the stomach, but also for the environment. Shall we try?
Everything in the world is interconnected, and the flap of a butterfly’s wing can cause a tsunami on the other side of the world. Even something as mundane as eating has a significant impact on the environment. Today, those who care about environmental issues often try to eat in a way that does not harm nature, and unite with the intention of spreading their ideas.
What drives the supporters of these movements and how do they implement their principles in a large city?
In the name of salvation
Supporters of the food sharing ideology (eng. food – food, share – share) literally save food that can be lost. There are two directions of food sharing. You can join a group on social networks where members exchange surplus food or food that they did not like.
Can you become a volunteer : to collect expired products from shops, restaurants and manufacturers, and then distribute them to those in need. So the food, which is still quite suitable, will go to shelters, aid funds, to low-income families.
“Organizations involved in the production or sale of food give us food that remains unclaimed. The shelf life of bread is 72 hours, but bakeries bake fresh bread every day to keep up with the competition. Therefore, at the end of the day they have perfectly usable balances that they will no longer sell. By participating in food sharing, the bakery helps itself: our volunteers can recommend this place to their friends,” says Konstantin Ponomarev, organizer of the social and environmental project Foodsharing Moscow.
By helping those in need, supporters of food sharing also help nature. After all, uneaten food can harm the environment.
“Garbage, including discarded or unsold food, accumulates in landfills. The decomposition process releases landfill gas, which is harmful to the atmosphere,” explains Konstantin Ponomarev.
Waste in a landfill can smolder, soil and water in the vicinity of landfills are polluted… By giving away to others everything that has not been consumed or sold, we reduce the amount of garbage. This means that we contribute to clean air and climate protection.
Everyone can bring the ideas of food sharing to life.
“If you have cooked a pot of borscht and you understand that it will be lost, perhaps neighbors or friends will be happy to take away the excess. Surely in your house there are families with many children or lonely elderly people who will need such help, ”says Konstantin Ponomarev.
Second chance for milk
Freegans (free – free + vegan) try to keep their consumption to a minimum. Not for lack of funds, but for ideological reasons. They search supermarket dumpsters and after-hours market stalls for food that is still good to eat.
“A lone banana on a supermarket shelf, a crumpled can of canned food can become garbage if they are not bought,” explains Margarita Kirillova, who shares the ideas of freeganism. — Production, storage and transportation of products are costly. And when food disappears, these expenses also become useless.
But isn’t this food dangerous?
“I think so: mold, rotting and ignorance are dangerous,” Margarita Kirillova replies. — Food during cooking can be subjected to additional heat treatment. And pastries will rise even better with sour milk than with fresh, zucchini with barrels can be cut off, and a crushed pomegranate is not completely spoiled.
Knowledge helps freegans get the most out of their products, including those that others would consider spoiled. Sour milk will become curdled milk, and with the help of heat treatment it can be turned into young cheese. Vegetables that are slightly wilted in soup and stews will be no worse than fresh ones. How to practice freeganism in a metropolis? It turns out it’s not that hard.
“Several times I saved vegetables and milk that the grocery store threw away,” says Margarita Kirillova. – Friends bring me expired bran, butter, urbech – it is quite possible to put them in bread without risk to health. At the market, I take vegetables with “barrels”, they give them away for nothing.
It’s time, it’s place
The menu of the most popular restaurants in the world is increasingly based on local dishes, traditional for a particular country. And restaurateurs often offer guests seasonal products, following the cycles of nature. In winter – radish, in spring – sorrel, in summer – berries and new potatoes.
If earlier this approach was forced, today many people choose it because they adhere to the principles of “slow food” (slow food – slow food). This movement originated in Italy 30 years ago as a protest against fast food, globalization and the loss of local gastronomic traditions. It was quickly picked up in other countries.
“We dream of a world where everyone has access to quality food, and food is at the same time useful for us, benefits producers and does not harm the planet,” says Nadezhda Zhdanova, coordinator on education of food culture and conscious consumption in Moscow. The main principle is tasty, clean and honest food for everyone.
“Delicious – that is, high-quality, fresh and seasonal. Pure – that is, produced without harm to the environment. Honest means accessible to the consumer and fairly paid for the manufacturer,” explains Nadezhda Zhdanova.
Why pay attention to local products?
“In developed countries, the distance“ from the garden to the plate ”, according to the UN, is on average 1900 km. And the longer it is, the more fuel and energy is spent on transportation, the greater the pollution of air, water and soil. Products lose some of their nutritional properties along the way,” says Nadezhda Zhdanova.
It is not easy to follow all the principles of “slow food” while living in a metropolis: there are not enough markets, prices bite, and you will have to spend time looking for a product that meets all the requirements. But the result justifies the effort!
“Today there are more and more farmers and small producers. And really high-quality products do not require complex recipes, because they have a real taste. It is unlikely that the time for cooking will increase, but the pleasure will definitely increase,” hopes Nadezhda Zhdanova.
There are also benefits to local flora and fauna.
“By choosing locally grown and seasonal products, we help preserve biodiversity – local plant varieties and animal breeds. Over the past 100 years, we have already lost more than 70% of the entire biodiversity of the planet. Globalization erases uniqueness and makes everything, including food, average. But we have the opportunity to preserve not only local products, but also unique culinary traditions,” says Nadezhda Zhdanova.
Should we prefer the unique to the average? The choice is ours…
Safety on the plate
To make your menu healthier and more varied while saving the environment, here are a few tips. Nature will appreciate the efforts, and taste buds will be grateful to us, says biologist Nadezhda Zhdanova.
1. Think over the menu in advance. There are many recipes on the Internet for simple but unusual dishes from familiar ingredients.
2. Before going to the store, make a shopping list. So you don’t take too much.
3. In stores, pay attention to the composition of the product. In the market, communicate with sellers. Anyone who sells their own products will be happy to talk about it.
4. Use as many cereals, vegetables, fruits as possible in cooking.
5. Choose, if possible, not only local, but also seasonal products: they are the most useful and rich in vitamins.
6. Explore new products, look for unusual combinations. Practicing taste is good for the brain.
7. The meat industry causes significant damage to the climate and the environment. Buy meat less often, but better quality.
8. Refuse semi-finished products in plastic packaging, cook at home yourself.