The Sustainable Food Test

Is what I eat healthy? Who made what I’m eating? How much meat should I eat per week? Is it a good idea to grow your own food? How many bags of plastic food packaging do I throw out each week?

A sustainable diet consists of eating healthy, flavourful, nutritionally balanced food that respects your body, your environment and, ultimately, the planet. Traditions, habits, advertising and marketing can make our beliefs, customs and food consumption unhealthy and unsustainable. Want to improve? 

 

Tell us what you eat and we’ll tell you how you can improve!

 

 

There’s a lettuce in the fridge. Do you know who grew it and how it got into your home?

I know the name of the farmer who grew it and I know the kind of conditions they work in.
I know it’s local, from El Maresme.
Oops! It’s from the supermarket and I can’t remember what it said on the label.

Beans are harvested...

In the spring!
There are none in the winter.
All year round, I think.

Organic products are…

Products created using practices that respect nature, without any chemical fertilisers, chemical pesticides or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
Wholegrain products for special diets.
Huh? That doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a marketing strategy.

Do you have a vegetable garden or allotment?

Yes, on a plot of land, on the roof terrace, on my balcony, in a community garden or in a space granted by the City Council.
I’d love to have one!
Oof, no, I don’t have time.

Did you know you can grow food at home, even if you don’t have a balcony?

Of course! You can grow shoots with legumes, water and a little bit of light!
No, I didn't know that. How?
I don’t have time or this doesn’t really interest me.

Where do you buy your food?

I try to buy from markets, consumer cooperatives, farmers and local producers.
Small shops.
I prefer shopping online and in big supermarkets.

Do you know what a consumer cooperative is?

Of course, I’m already part of one!
Yes… But I can’t take on the commitment it requires at the moment.
No. What is it?

You’re out food shopping. What makes you choose one product over another?

How it’s produced, how it’s packaged, what additives it contains, what nutrients it contains, whether or not it’s organic or local...
I buy from brands I trust.
If it’s cheap, I like the brand, and the packaging is attractive!

You’re buying ham, cheese or quince paste. How do you get it home to your fridge?

I take tupperware containers with me.
I ask them to give it to me in its paper, without a bag.
I buy it ready-packaged in any shop.

How much time do you spend cooking per day at home?

At least an hour.
Half an hour: I prefer making salads and quick, grilled dishes.
I don’t have time and/or I don’t like cooking.

Do you cook as a family?

Yes! We go shopping, pick what we want, then make it. We love it!
Hmm. Yes, as a social thing with drinks and snacks, now and again.
No. I don’t have time and/or I don’t like to.

Do you have a family recipe book at home?

Yes, Grandma’s recipes are a big hit!
Not a family one, but we like cooking and exchange recipes between members of the family.
No. We’re not interested in cooking.

Think about what you ate yesterday. How many products did you eat without knowing what their ingredients mean exactly (various E numbers, butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA], hydrogenated fats, monosodium glutamate [MSG], artificial colours and flavourings, et

None. I always read the ingredients of what I eat.
Hmm. A couple, maybe :D
Hang on a minute... If they sell it in the supermarket, I can eat it.

Continue to think about what you ate yesterday. How many fresh products did you eat?

One or several at every meal.
Hmm. Maybe one or two.
Does frozen food count?

Let’s have an afternoon snack. What do you want?

Some fruit, nuts, home-made oat biscuits… and water from my reusable bottle!
A sandwich with white bread and some juice from a carton.
A chocolate muffin and a coffee with milk and sugar.

Where do you have lunch at work?

I bring my own or go to a healthy, family-run restaurant nearby...
At a restaurant. Anywhere. It varies.
I get something to take away or fast food.

It’s mid-afternoon and you’re thirsty. What do you drink?

Water. What else would I drink if I’m thirsty!
It depends. Probably water, but sometimes I drink some freshly-squeezed juice or a beer.
A soft drink!

Do you use beetroot leaves?

Of course! I boil them or steam them, and use them in stock or soup.
No. I didn’t know you could eat them.
I don’t eat beetroot or I buy it ready-prepared and packaged.

The bread’s gone stale. So what now?

I can use it to make French toast, croutons, onion soup, bread crumbs... Or I can dip it in milk for breakfast.
For the birds?
It’s inedible. It goes in the bin.

How many times do you take out a bag of plastic waste?

Less than once a week. I’m almost at zero waste...
Once or twice a week. Oh dear!
I don’t recycle, it’s too much effort.

What do you do with the organic waste from your kitchen?

I make compost!
I collect it in an organic bag and throw it in the brown container.
I throw it out with the rest of the rubbish. Recycling is complicated and I don’t have time.

What kind of restaurant do you prefer?

I go for organic, local food, and zero-waste restaurants…
Any classic, traditional restaurant.
I go anywhere, I don’t think about it much.

You’re at a restaurant. Do you ask for a doggy bag if you don’t finish your meal?

Yes: waste not, want not.
Only if I need the leftovers for dinner or the next day.
No, I've never done that.

What sustainable food options are there in your neighbourhood?

Oh, there are loads! Organic markets, farmers’ markets, sustainable restaurants, zero-waste shops, take-away food made with local products...
There might be an organic supermarket?
I’m not aware of anything like that in my neighbourhood.

What was the last thing you read about sustainable food?

A book about food and using leftovers, or zero waste, or nutrition...
Some magazine or online article.
Nothing. I eat well already. I have other interests.

How many vegetarian meals do you eat in a week?

More than three. We’re almost veggie :)
Between one and three. Sometimes our family likes to go veggie.
None. If there’s no meat, it’s like there’s something missing...

Do you know much about the rural world where our food comes from?

Yes, I try to speak to farmers and visit farms.
Hmm. I’ve been to urban allotments a couple of times.
No, I’m a bit of an urbanite!

Trofeu

Mostly a - You’re a sustainability star!

Congratulations. You are clearly committed to eating sustainably to benefit your health and the urban and rural environment. You already know this, but your efforts are not in vain: you are contributing towards mitigating the global climate and environmental emergency. Keep it up! Carry on researching, studying and taking action, because the way we eat can change the world. Don’t forget to keep checking this website and find out all about the activities planned for 2021, Barcelona’s year as the World Capital of Sustainable Food. We’re sure you can learn even more!

Mostly b - There’s room for improvement!

You’re on the right track! It seems like eating local and in an eco-friendly way interests you, that you’re no stranger to the kitchen but not 100% comfortable there, that you care about your environment and hate to see so much waste and rubbish... Well, you've come to the right place. On this sustainable food website, we've put together lots of practical tips, recommendations of where to find sustainable products and other resources and initiatives to help you become the best-fed, most sustainable person in the city!

Mostly c - You’re eating the Earth away!

Not knowing what you are eating or throwing out excess food can be harmful to nature and wastes resources. This way of eating is not just bad for you – and your health :( – it is also damaging to your immediate surroundings, your neighbours and farmers here in Catalonia. And, of course, it is easy to forget about the planet when going about your day-to-day life, but we are all dependent on it. But if you’ve got this far… maybe you would like to eat more sustainably? Yes!!! Why not try and adopt at least one sustainable food tip? Every little change counts!