how do I eat sustainably during COVID-19? a guide

Hey folks!

I hope you’re doing your best to crawl toward the end of the universally-hated 2020. In today’s article, I'm addressing a fun, yet challenging topic and allll of the nuances that come along with it: eating sustainably during COVID-19. 

So much has changed about our lifestyles as a result of the pandemic. When it comes to our sustainable habits, the same is definitely true. Don't believe me? Well, would you still be comfortable using a restaurant’s reusable utensils right now? Or, have you been buying just a little more takeout than usual?

Photo by Any Lane on Pexels.com

Photo by Any Lane on Pexels.com

We’re in a whole new world now, and taking care of yourself and those around you has to be your top priority. That means everything else may go out of focus for a little while.

But many of us will still want to be as sustainable as possible during this time -- if not even more so, since the climate crisis feels even more pressing. So, what might that look like right now? In this article, I’ll provide my approach to sustainable eating during COVID through each of the three realms of sustainability (social, environmental, and economic), backing it all up with tangible and direct resources you can use today. 

So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

social sustainability

When it comes to social sustainability, we primarily think about people. We think about things like the treatment of marginalized groups within society, equity, diversity, and workers’ rights. Although many think the pandemic has had an equivalent effect on everyone, the research makes it clear that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted marginalized communities. For example, more Black people get infected with and die from the virus, and many people in lower income brackets are also the ones working essential service jobs.

As such, there’s a huge role to play when it comes to socially sustainable food. Mainly, it looks like supporting restaurants, brands, and practices that seek to support marginalized groups and workers. You could consider donating your money to funds that combat food insecurity and provide relief to restaurants and food industry workers. Montreal Eater has a big list of those resources here. If you’re at McGill or in Montreal, you should also consider checking out Meals for Milton-Parc and the Montreal Student Initiative for Covid-19 Response and Relief.

Above is a recent post from Meals For Milton-Parc’s Instagram page! It gives a description about what this amazing, student-led organization is doing to support food sovereignty and security in Milton-Parc, a community near the McGill campus that is home to a group of houseless folks.

Moreover, this time is an excuse (in my opinion…) to eat out more. It’s a great excuse to take a break from cooking, and it directly assists restaurants, who are greatly in need of our support right now. You might consider specifically supporting BIPOC-owned restaurants. Cult MTL, for example, has a big Montreal-based list of Black-owned establishments. As well, when eating out, you might wish to go physically pick up your order or to contact the restaurant directly, because delivery apps take a pretty large cut of the restaurants’ earnings (as much as 25-30%!).

economic sustainability

Many people don’t totally get the term ‘economic sustainability’, which is fair since our mainstream conceptions of environmentalism seem to argue that financial systems are the root causes of climate injustice. While the aforementioned is pretty true, that doesn’t mean we can’t still use our money to fight for good (just look at the huge list of ways you can do so above)! Economic sustainability refers to the ways in which we can support “good economic growth” — that is, growth which doesn’t hurt the earth or its people. 

The main way you can practice economic sustainability is by shopping locally! And the good news is, that’s pretty easy nowadays. COVID has influenced most brands to create online shops, meaning you don’t have a reason to support giants like Amazon anymore. 

This photo shows two individuals shopping at a store (wearing their masks, of course!)  Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

This photo shows two individuals shopping at a store (wearing their masks, of course!)
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on
Pexels.com

There are also so many incredible local businesses and restaurants, wherever you are — it’s up to you to check them out! To start you off, this article has lists for every part of Canada. And as we are in the holiday season, you can use your gift shopping to introduce your friends and family to all the amazing new establishments you’ve discovered recently. 

Also, consider looking for products at your local stores which have the Fairtrade label! Fairtrade is an ethics standard that certifies the fair treatment of all workers in the supply chain. From experience, the products also taste absolutely delicious because they’ve been made with care, by people who were paid ethically and treated the way they should be.

environmental sustainability

A very aesthetic reusable bag photo…which you can replicate by bringing your OWN tote bag to the grocery store to be sustainable! Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

A very aesthetic reusable bag photo…which you can replicate by bringing your OWN tote bag to the grocery store to be sustainable!
Photo by cottonbro on
Pexels.com

Finally, environmental sustainability refers to the obvious: protecting the planet’s natural resources through our every action. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, many of our typical individualistic environmental efforts have been compromised somewhat by the pandemic — taking our own containers and reusable cups to the restaurant or cafe doesn’t feel as safe anymore. For my part, my takeout consumption has also increased by a lot. On the positive, at least, many of us are travelling a lot less due to the rapid implementation of stay-at-home orders. This is great for reductions in our transportation-based carbon footprint. 

But when it comes to fighting back against environmental degradation during the pandemic through our food choices, there are numerous actions we can take! As I somewhat mentioned previously, if you’re ordering takeout, consider going to pick it up in-person (at least if it’s walkable). Doing so will save a carbon footprint-inducing car trip for someone else. You can also request that your restaurant leave out the single-use utensils and napkins so as to avoid that extra bit of waste. Moreover, taking your reusable bags to the grocery store is still safe, so keep doing that!

You might also consider buying more of your groceries locally, meaning both travelling to small, local shops as well as selecting products grown/produced nearby! Practicing both of these techniques will help reduce your food miles, a concept that argues in favour of reducing your culinary carbon footprint. It’s hard to know the exacts when it comes to this topic, and there’s lots of nuance, but it’s a good starting point. Finally, if you’re located in Quebec, you could check out Lufa Farms, which is a local foods delivery service.

a Lufa Farms fresh produce basket! Consider ordering from Lufa Farms for safety, convenience, and sustainability. Source

a Lufa Farms fresh produce basket! Consider ordering from Lufa Farms for safety, convenience, and sustainability.
Source

conclusion

Well, there you have it! A rundown of many of the ways in which you can eat sustainably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay calm, take care of yourself, and do your best — there’s lots we can all do, but don’t get overwhelmed trying to tackle everything at once. 

As a final plug, I want to share an article I wrote for a project that I did this past spring in another class. I believe it ties together all of the pillars of food sustainability in a meaningful way. Check it out here; I hope you enjoy it! Let me know in the comments what else you’re doing to stay sustainable during the Coronavirus!

with love and sustainability,

– ethigirl :)

my case for meal kits: a realistic review of HelloFresh.

I take a lot of pride in considering myself something of an amateur chef (read: someone who watches a lot of cooking content on YouTube). So whenever I saw ads on social media for meal kit services like HelloFresh, I quickly scrolled past. I thought they were ridiculous. Overpriced, too much packaging, and a sad testament for how capitalism has made us too busy to even have time to grocery shop and cook. 

Me, getting ready to cook :)

Me, getting ready to cook :)

But a month or two ago, I read this article during a period when my anxiety was making it impossible to eat, let alone cook. It discusses how the pandemic and its mental health repercussions influenced the author to sign up for a meal kit service. A switch flipped in my mind and I did the same thing. Ever since, I’ve been using HelloFresh, and I’ve decided to write a review of my experience because I want to nuance the narrative surrounding these services a little bit. 

the service

If you aren’t familiar with HelloFresh or those like it, it’s a subscription service that allows you to pay a weekly fee and, in return, pick a few recipes and receive corresponding individually-portioned ingredients. You tell them what you want, and when you want it, and the box arrives at your door. You barely need anything other than salt, pepper, and oil to get cooking. 

the prices

Many folks’ main concern about these services is that they’re expensive. From my experience that all depends on you: what you normally pay for groceries every week, how many recipes you wish to receive, and whether you’re willing to pay a slight premium for the element of convenience. In any case, I pay roughly $75 per week for 3 recipe kits, totalling 6 meals. It’s more than I used to pay for groceries (about $50 per week) but if it means I’m actually eating, I don’t mind the extra $15. 

the quality

Source: this Insider article about using HelloFresh during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Source: this Insider article about using HelloFresh during the COVID-19 lockdown.

From my roughly four or five weeks using HelloFresh, I have found the ingredients and recipes to taste really good. The produce is usually quite fresh, but I’ve occasionally run into some wilted herbs. Some of the recipes have been somewhat unflavorful, but if you’ve got a well-stocked spice collection, you’ll be fine. And I like how healthy and balanced the meals always are. You know exactly what’s going into them, and you don’t have to worry that you’re getting all your food groups. 

the sustainability

HelloFresh advertises on its website that it’s a sustainable service. However, this piece is my main critique. Every week I’m dealing with tons of unnecessary cardboard and far more ice packs than I know what to do with. Each box also comes with corresponding recipe cards, and for each one they send along an English and a French version. These things should either be eliminated or at least optional. 

HelloFresh should also prioritize local ingredients. One week, I received fish all the way from Iceland! As someone originally from the Maritimes, I felt a little insulted; Canada has no shortage of local options and taking advantage of them is a sustainability must.

Source: Crippledscholar’s article “When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful”

Source: Crippledscholar’s article “When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful”

However, HelloFresh does appeal to some aspects of social sustainability, bringing up an important intersectional environmentalism issue. Some folks may remember the great plastic straw debate, wherein a bunch of environmentalists led the campaign to eliminate them altogether as an unnecessary, single-use utensil. But many disability rights activists, like Crippedscholar, critiqued this cause with much validity. They argued that sometimes, single-use plastics and packaging that might just seem “lazy” to able-bodied people can actually be empowering for disabled folks. This point is important when critiquing HelloFresh’s sustainability, because even though it’s easy to call them out for pre-cutting and individually-wrapping the veggies in their meal kits, doing so eliminates a barrier in cooking for many. And again, more broadly speaking, the service itself does that for a lot of people in general. 

conclusion

All of this is to say that while meal kit services might not be the right fit for everyone, they’re helpful for more folks than you might think, and a lot of people who use them aren’t just “lazy”. I’ve had a great experience using HelloFresh, and while I likely won’t be a lifetime customer, it’s certainly a helpful resource during these difficult times. 

I’ll leave you with a treat: an incredibly entertaining YouTube video (as I mentioned earlier that I enjoy greatly) from Sohla El-Waylly, one of my absolute favourite chefs. 

With love and sustainability,

Ethigirl.