On a global scale, the increasing importance of sustainable food practices are emerging, with major associated concerns with today's food production involving; excessive packaging, foods with long 'air miles' and a lack of support for local producers/suppliers. Even worse, we will soon face a planet with a population of nine billion people by the next generation, amplifying the impact that our poor eating habits will have on a deteriorating Globe.

People can only make healthy and sustainable food choices where they are available, with more & more options becoming available to make more environmentally friendly choices.

Listed below, are 3 ways YOU can contribute YOUR individual part to the ongoing global crisis.

#1 Show support for the activists

The first way you can be more sustainable in your eating habits, is to show support for those businesses who are making an active effort towards putting sustainability at the heart of their core operations. In a recent sustainability survey by the Irish Times, it was found that many businesses are reducing single-use plastics and excessive packaging and replacing items with 100 per cent compostable materials, with many achieving “zero waste” or have a “zero to landfill” policy.

Showing support for such businesses will firstly, allow these businesses to continue their sustainable practices and also serves another purpose, putting pressure on their competitors to adopt more eco-conscious practices. Eat at restaurants that place emphasis on their 'sustainability', shop at supermarkets with sustainable foods, there are plenty of options to support these businesses.

#2 Purchasing sustainable foods - Supermarkets

Knowing that there are sustainable food brands in supermarkets, it is your job to make the purchase, such as buying Fair Trade chocolate. Moving away from traditional brands to sustainable brands may be more costly, but the reason these brands cost less can be due to the the production being centered in low-wage economies or the use of unsustainable ingredients. Switching to sustainable food brands may increase your shopping trolley cost by maybe 15%, but this small cost increase is well justified by the impact it can have on the environment.

Excessive waste is one of the biggest challenges associated with food sustainability, with food packaging being deposited into landfill sites at alarming rates. Many brands are actively using less packaging to deal with this issue. You can also help by reusing your shopping bags, avoiding single-use plastic bags and following the product's recycling description. Identifying these food brands can be done by looking at the label.

#3 Eat local

Eating locally is one of the most sustainable practices you can adopt. The rationale behind doing so is because of the 'air miles' associated with the production of common foods. The final point of production of food, before becoming available to the consumer, is usually centered around 1 or 2 key plants in low-wage economies, with raw ingredients being sourced from all over the world. Global supply chains are huge contributors, causing huge increases in carbon emissions, along with unfair local working conditions

Eating local produce, shopping for brands that source ingredients from local suppliers & dining at restaurants that buy from local suppliers, can help battle the issue of high 'air miles'. Buying fresh produce from the local co-op is one of the most effective ways to be more sustainable, being a win-win with long air miles & excessive packaging being eliminated.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have a page showing some eco-labels that identify responsibly produced foods. Purchasing such foods can be the start of your journey adopting sustainable food practices.