What are the environmental implications of food production, transportation, distribution, consumption and disposal? See our Food Matters Leaflet.
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Category Archives: Food Matters
Stop Food Waste Survey
There is a new on-line survey being done at the moment for Stop Food Waste with the chance to win a €200 voucher for a Green Hospitality certified hotel.
Help them with the research!
WHEN IS FOOD SAFE? – EXPLORING ‘BEST BEFORE’ DATES
Have you ever been completely confused over the expiry dates on the food we buy? There is the ‘sell by’ date, the ‘use by’ date, the ‘best before’ date…how can we ensure that the food we’re eating is safe and that we are not throwing out perfectly good food just because of the date on the box/tin?
On average, we in Ireland are throwing away 1/3 of the food we buy. See Food Matters. Some of this is because of wastage on the plate and some of this is because the food has gone off. However, some of this is because we are throwing out perfectly good produce based on the expiry date printed on the lid. Our parents and grandparents never did this. They would use ‘the smell/taste’ test before throwing anything out. This wasn’t a perfect science and I’m sure that some people got sick. Nevertheless, this ‘smell/sniff’ test can supplement the current expiry date system.
Read More
Also posted in Blog, Food Waste Tagged best by, environment, expiry date, food, food waste, waste Comments closed
Visualizing a Plenitude Economy
Never heard of the Plenitude Economy? Neither had we before we watched this great little video from the Center for a New American Dream.
This fun animation provides a vision of what a post-consumer society could look like, with people working fewer hours and pursuing re-skilling, homesteading, and small-scale enterprises that can help reduce the overall size and impact of the consumer economy. Narrated by economist and best-selling author Juliet Schor (http://www.julietschor.org).
The shorter work week reminds us of the New Economic Foundation’s (NEF) ’21 Hours’ project, where everyone works just 21 hours a week. You can find out more about the NEF project by clicking here.
VOICE Winter Newsletter 2011
As we come to the end of another successful year, it’s hard to believe Christmas is almost upon as again.
This year has been very busy for VOICE with a lot of our work done on policy issues, telling the Government what we think they should be doing differently. In this edition of our Newsletter we give you an update on the promised climate change bill on page 1 and you can read about the rest of our policy work on pages 6 and 7.
Also posted in Forestry, Newsletters, Resources, Waste Tagged Christmas, environment, food waste, green, green christmas, policy, Transition network, tristram stuart Comments closed
Launch of Irish anti-GM campaign
A new campaign for a five-year moratorium on genetically modified crops in Ireland has just been launched. GM Moratorium says that we don’t know enough about GM crops and food to know that they are not safe.
The launch comes after the release of a report by Global Citizens that found GM crops do not increase yields but do promote much higher levels of pesticide and chemical use.
GM Moratorium is collecting signatures for a petition that will be presented to the Irish Government. You can add your name by going to their website.
UK plans labelling change to cut food waste
The UK government is preparing to make significant changes to food labelling practices in an effort to reduce food waste. The new guidelines issued last month will simplify date marks to make it easier for shoppers to know when food can be eaten and when it should be thrown away.
The new guidelines recommend that ‘display-until’ or ‘sell-by’ dates are removed from packaging as these can be confusing to customers.
VOICE believes that we need similar changes in food labelling in Ireland. Food waste is a serious environmental issue in this country with households throwing away a third on average of all food. The simplification of food date labels would help shoppers reduce the amount of food they throw out and save money.
To find out more about the new UK food date labelling guidelines, visit DEFRA: http://www.defra.gov.uk
We Throw Away a Third of Our Food Away – And It’s Polluting Our Country
Our Coordinator at VOICE, Tara Connolly has written an article appearing in the Journal on Ireland’s problem with food waste. Read on to find out more about the environmental implications of throwing one third of our food away and what can be done about it.
The Journal, 4 August 2011
IMAGINE THE SCENE: you come home from your weekly food shop at the supermarket. You unpack the food you have just bought and put it on a table. You divide the food into three piles and throw one pile into the bin. It sounds like an act of madness but this is, effectively, what the average Irish household does every week.
According to the EPA, a third of all food bought by households ends up as food waste. But the scale of the problem is much larger with food waste created along the food supply chain and in commercial enterprises, such as canteens and restaurants. Read More
Sign the petition for raw milk
Raw milk for sale (Source: Creative Commons)
VOICE patron Darina Allen is campaigning against the proposed ban on the sale of raw or unpasturised milk in Ireland.
Slow Food Ireland is petitioning the Minister for Agriculture to think twice before banning the sale of raw milk for human consumption. You can sign the Slow Food Ireland petition here.
To find out more about raw milk in Ireland from Darina Allen, read on.
A Fair Story
Are you interested in Fairtrade issues? Here is a short film from Fairtrade Mark Ireland celebrating the global story of Fairtrade!
More information on the Fairtrade movement.
We don’t want to see Frankenfoods by the back door
VOICE is happy to be supporting GM Free Ireland in their efforts to ensure Ireland is keep Ireland free from genetically modified organisms. Below is an article that appeared in the Irish Daily Mail on 11 April 2011 about the campaign. You can find out more at their website.
We don’t want to see Frankenfoods by the back door
Yvonne Tarleton
Irish Daily Mail, 11 April 2011
Farmers and doctors are increasingly alarmed over the new government’s ‘confused’ stance on GM food.
Representatives from farming, food, health and environmental bodies met yesterday to discuss the uncertainty surrounding Ireland’s future with GM foods.
Rally for Environmental Justice
Young Friends of the Earth Ireland is holding a rally today outside the Dail at 13:30.
You have a chance to be part of the solution. Join the Rally For Environmental Justice at Dáil Eireann, Dublin City on Wednesday 1:30pm March 23rd. Bring your friends, put on some facepaints, bring drums, music, whatever! And come for drinks in the Pint bar after!
It’s our future. Let’s show that we’re willing to fight for it
Also posted in Climate Change, Forestry, Waste, Water, Wildlife Tagged environment, forests, waste, water, wildlife Comments closed
Environmental analysis of the Programme for Government 2011
Programme for government strong on aspirations to tackle urgent environmental challenges but weak on details of credible policy initiatives.
Climate change, sustainable water management, renewable energy and waste management are long-fingered with vague timetables, an exception being the long-overdue open debate on GMOs that will be warmly welcomed by farmers and consumers alike.
Most welcome is the pledge to finally sign the Arhus Convention giving rights to access environmental information and justice, rights already enjoyed by other European citizens.
The Fine Gael/Labour coalition published its agreed Programme for Government 2011-2016 on ahead of the Labour conference that look place last Sunday in UCD. The Labour delegates approved the programme, thus propelling Labour into government for the first time since 1997.
Tag cloud of the Programme for Government (Credit: Piers Dillon Scott)
Over the past few days VOICE has analysed the environmental credibility of the Programme for Government and now present our findings.
You can read our summary or, if you have the time, keep reading to find out our verdict on the policies of Ireland’s new government.
Also posted in Climate Change, Forestry, General Election 2011, Resources, Waste, Water Tagged environment, food, resources, waste, water Comments closed
Food Matters leaflet
Download our Food Matters leaflet here: [attachments docid=591 fields=none force_saveas="0" logged_users="0"]
Seas at Risk and Low Impact Fisheries
Brussels, 8th June, 2010. A new report by Seas At Risk highlights a number of ways that fisheries across Europe can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously reducing their damaging impact on the marine environment. The report – titled ‘Moving Towards Low Impact Fisheries in Europe: Policy Hurdles & Actions’, undertaken by the independent fisheries consultancy MacAlister Elliott and Partners – finds that through changing the type of fishing gear, the fishing industry can decrease the damage it inflicts on marine ecosystems, reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and lower its fuel costs. Read More