The Good Food sustainability glossary

The Good Food Sustainability Glossary

Biodiversity

The wide variety of life on Earth encompassing different animals, insects, plants, the ecosystem they live in – forest, desert, grasslands or coral reef, for example – and the microorganisms that help support life in that environment.

Biodynamic

Low-intensity farming with a spiritual edge, popular with winemakers. Shares many methods with organic and regenerative farming, but biodynamic farms also use nine treatments (called “preparations”, fermented from natural ingredients) to improve
soil and compost health. The efficacy of such treatments has not been scientifically verified. Some biodynamic farmers also
rely on the lunar calendar, charting the position of the moon, to choose the best time for sowing and harvesting.

Bioplastics

Plastics derived from renewable plant matter, such as corn starch or sugar cane, which produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Popular in takeaway food packaging, many bioplastics are compostable, but only if collected for treatment in industrial composters, which work at hotter temperatures than home compost bins. Only items labelled ‘home compostable’ or similar, can be thrown in with your potato peels and apple cores.

Carbon footprint

Researcher and writer Mike Berners-Lee explains this as; carbon = all the different global-warming greenhouse gases, footprint = a metaphor for the impact something has. By this definition, a carbon footprint is roughly the total climate change impact of something, such as an activity (flying), an item (a banana), a person, or even a whole country.

Find out more about our food carbon footprint and ways to cut your food carbon footprint.

Carbon neutral

Activity which, overall, does not increase the total greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Ideally, this is done by eliminating emissions at source. Carbon neutrality can also be achieved by carbon offsetting, where a company pays a third-party to absorb carbon from the atmosphere, for example by planting trees (also known as reforestation).

Capsule free

Wines minus a non-recyclable foil wrap at the neck, which is an unnecessary and wasteful addition.

Clean energy

Renewable sources of energy that generate power but do not contribute to global warming. Clean or green energy sources include wind, solar, wave, biomass and hydro.

Deforestation

Cutting down or removing trees to make way for crops, such as palm oil, farms or urban development. Deforestation in tropical rainforests is particularly worrying because of the wide range of biodiversity they support.

Einkorn, emmer & spelt

Ancient forms of wheat hailed for their flavour, nutritional value and ability, as hardy crops, to thrive on biodiverse organic and
regenerative farms.

Entomophagy

Eating insects and food made from insect protein, which would alleviate pressure on the global food system.

Fin-to-gill & root-to-fruit

The same zero-waste approach as nose-to-tail but for fish and vegetables or fruit.

Flexitarian

Flexitarians minimise their meat, fish and sometimes dairy intake (sourcing sustainably when they do partake), in favour of
vegetables, beans, dried pulses and nuts. In food production, meat and other animal products create the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to a mostly plant-based diet is one of the easiest ways to step more lightly on the planet.

Food miles

The distance that your food has travelled from where it’s grown to where you buy it. Curiously, a high number of food miles doesn’t always mean that food is bad for the environment. Bananas, for example, are shipped thousands of miles to the UK but they often have a much lower carbon footprint than produce that has been air freighted in from Europe.

Discover the facts about food miles.

Food waste

Any food or inedible parts of food that are thrown away. Avoidable food waste is food that could have been eaten but is either no longer wanted or has gone past its sell-by-date. Unavoidable food waste is food that could never be eaten, such as eggshells or tea bags.

Learn about how to reduce food waste.

Fossil fuels

Non-renewable sources of energy such as coal, oil and natural gas. Fossil fuels release greenhouse gases when they are burned, while most plastic is made from chemicals extracted from fossil fuels.

Green diet

A healthy, sustainable way of eating that’s better for you and the environment. Key principles include reducing red meat consumption, eating more plant-based foods and cutting out processed foods.

Greenhouse gases

A number of gases that contribute to climate change by trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The largest contributor to global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2). Others include methane and nitrous oxide.

Read more about greenhouse gases.

Hand-dived…

by human divers. The least disruptive way of retrieving seafood, usually scallops, from sea beds. Other low-impact seafood sources to look out for include rope-grown mussels, farmed oysters and creelor pot-caught crab and lobster.

Intensive farming

Highly mechanised farming that uses artificial fertilisers and concentrated animal feeds to produce large amounts of food quickly,
affordably and reliably. It often involves the large-scale cultivation of one crop (known as a monoculture), and is responsible for river pollution, soil degradation and decreasing biodiversity.

Landfill

A site where waste is disposed of by being buried in the ground. In the UK, we send almost one quarter (24.4 per cent) of our waste, or 52.3 million tonnes, to landfill.

Locavore

Modern chef and consumer movement committed to buying locally produced foods, from the farm gate or within a 100-mile radius.
This can bolster small businesses, communities and promote transparent, environmentally sound supply chains. It’s sometimes referred to as farm-to-table dining.

Mindful meat

Phrase used to denote avoidance of intensively farmed meats and an emphasis on eating “better meat” from abundant sources, such as wild game, or meats that would otherwise be a waste product (for example male kid goats from dairy farms).

Natural wine

Wine returned to its pre-industrial origin, in order, say fans, to let the true flavours of a grape or growing area shine. Grapes are grown using organic or biodynamic principles, boosting soil health, fermented with wild yeasts and, unlike conventional wine (where various mechanical aids and additives can be used help makers ensure consistent flavours), left to develop without intervention. Certification schemes for natural wine are emerging. French makers can join the official Vin Méthode Nature designation. But, globally, most makers prefer to work pragmatically rather than to strict rules. For example, some will not add any stabilising sulphites to their wines, others modest amounts on a case-by-case basis.

Nose-to-tail

Cooking ethos popularised by chef Fergus Henderson which teaches, for both sustainability and flavour, that all edible parts of an animal should be eaten. Not just prime cuts but skin, organs, brains, bone marrow and more (known as offal or the ‘fifth quarter’).

Organic farming

Low intensity farming that using traditional methods seeks to work, "in harmony with nature,” says charity and certifying body the Soil Association. Certified organic producers must follow strict, legally defined rules covering many aspects of animal welfare and cultivation. For example, they cannot use weed-killers, and farms may only use a small number of naturally derived pesticides, such as citronella, within strict limits, as a last resort.

Read more about what organic means.

Overfishing

When too many fish are caught, and there are not enough adults to breed and restock the population. The UN says one third of global fish stocks have now reached ‘overfished’ status.

Regenerative farming

A flexible approach rather than an objective set of rules, regen or low-input farming seeks to maximise a farm’s soil health and biodiversity by intermingling various crops, plants, trees, grazing animals and natural water sources, in such a way that farms can
thrive with minimal-tozero use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. Known as regenerative viticulture in wine.

Single-use plastics

An item of plastic that is only used once before it is thrown away. Single-use plastics include water bottles, plastic straws, cotton buds and food packaging.

Find out the pieces of packaging to avoid.

Sustainable Restaurant Association

The SRA certifies restaurants with its ‘Food Made Good’ standard – a global evaluation of sustainable practises. Michelin’s green clover ‘Sustainable Gastronomy’ emblem awarded to restaurants doing good work in, say, growing-their-own or waste minimisation.

Tap wine

Wine served in recyclable or reusable kegs or pouches, reducing carbon emissions. Glass is energy intensive to make and heavy to
transport.

Wildfarmed

Not a farming method, but a company. Its regeneratively farmed wheat flours are popular with chefs.

More on sustainability

What biodegradable really means
How to compost food at home
8 ways to be a better recycler
What are greenhouse gases?
Is your diet contributing to water scarcity?
Sustainability hub page