The environmental impact of eating seasonally

A fjord in Norway: an example of the stunning nature we are all working to protect

There are a number of ways that we can make our food shop more or less environmentally friendly: we can change what we buy, where we buy it, how we buy it and when we buy it. In this article we will focus on the when. Does eating seasonally have a big impact on our carbon footprint? Is it worth doing?

As explored in a previous blog here, many factors go into the carbon footprint of a food, from the emissions on the farm where the food is from, to how the food is packaged and processed, to how it gets to our shelves. Unfortunately for the consumer, this information is often not disclosed to us and so it can be hard to make an informed decision on which product is “greener”. For example. The packaging might tell me that my berries are from Spain, but were they flown to the UK, or driven, or shipped by boat?

Thankfully, there are some guidelines we can follow to make the best decision we can.

1. If a product goes off very quickly and it has come from a long way away, it has probably been flown to us. This could include fruit and veg like berries, asparagus or baby corn from South America, for example.

2. If a product lasts a long time, like apples or oranges do, even if it comes from the other side of the world it has probably come to us by sea which is a relatively very low-carbon way of getting food to us (in some cases, more so than driving to us from a much closer country!).

A seasonal harvest of tomatoes and peppers, home grown this summer

Another angle to consider is that the emissions from a farm can vary enormously as farming practices vary. Take tomatoes as an example. Tomatoes are a delicious summer fruit which are in season from May to October in the UK. During this time, they can grow in abundance in our fields and gardens with little help from us. Try growing them in the middle of winter though and you’d struggle as it is simply too cold for them to thrive. Year-round tomato growers might get around this by using heated greenhouses, or “hot houses” which use a huge amount of energy.

A seasonal recipe from this summer: homemade hummus flatbreads with halloumi and homegrown cucumber, tomatoes and herbs

Given all this, what do I do?

Choosing the greenest option in all of this noise can be really overwhelming, but one thing is clear: opting for seasonal food is a great and safe choice. If a food is in-season, it has probably been grown here without the need for hot housing. It probably hasn’t travelled too far to get to you, and it’s probably fresh and delicious. If you opt for out-of-season, it might have been grown in the UK in a hot house which used large amounts of energy. Or, it might have flown in from the other side of the world. Either of these options can quadruple¹ (or much worse!) the carbon footprint of your item.

Eating seasonally can be a lot of fun, too. There is an abundance of recipe books and chefs that champion seasonal eating so you’ll never be short of ideas, and buying seasonal produce can even save you money as explored in this blog. Many restaurants offer seasonal menus which keep things tasty and exciting.

What's stopping you from eating seasonally?

Many people cite a lack of knowledge as the main reason they don’t eat more seasonally. To memorise when every fruit, vegetable, fish and meat is in season is a big job! To help you, we built seasonal data into EcoTweaks, meaning it can suggest in-season alternatives to any out-of-season items you put on your shopping list. This means you can buy fresher, tastier seasonal items without having to memorise lots of data. Use your time coming up with creative new recipes instead! If you do have any recipes to share, let us know via our socials or share them in our Discord community.

Sources

¹Mike Berners-Lee (2021) How Bad Are Bananas?, Profile Books Ltd