Food Culture: The impacts of what we consume

Understanding the full extent of the ways in which our diets impact on the climate and ecological crises can be stomach-turning. Mass deforestation, pollution, collapse of marine ecosystems, growing antibiotic resistance and new pandemics are some of the headline impacts.

Most food systems have evolved (or are evolving) to become complex, globally sourced and carbon heavy, all whilst the benefits brought by them are deeply unequal across society and a third of what we produce becomes food waste; waste which produces 8-10% of global emissions.

Our food system needs to change urgently in the race to limit global heating, in a way which restores the very ecological systems (such as biodiversity, soil and water), which food production relies upon.

This briefing is for anyone working in the cultural sector who wants to understand the environmental and social impacts of food and drink choices and how minimise them as an individual consumer and as a cultural organisation.

To watch the associated webinar on the same topic of Creative Food Culture, featuring guest speakers Corinna Pyke from Sustainable Wine Solutions and Robert Smael from Royal Court Theatre – you can find that here.