NUS Student Eats gets gobby about food

Agnes Knoll

29 May 2013

Guest blogger Agnes Knoll is NUS Student Eats project officer

Does it matter what we eat?

More and more people are realising how crucial food choices are to sustainability. What is on our plate matters - large amounts of fossil fuels are resulting in an increasing pressure on the planet - from the soil to the atmosphere.

A new food competition to change hearts, minds and stomachs

Friends of the Earth's Get Gobby competition will help even more people consider the impact of what they eat. Luckily, just simple changes in eating habits can help make strides towards sustainability - small efforts which add up to a huge difference.

The use of artificial fertilisers in intensive farming is a major contributor of greenhouse gases - and the run off pollutes our waterways.

Eating organically-grown food, without artificial fertilisers could lead to a reduction in greenhouse gases. And that's not to mention anxieties about herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics and GM foods. All of which are regarded as not only damaging the environment, but also people's health.

The public are becoming more aware of 'food miles'. Consumers are ensuring that the food they buy hasn't been flown to their supermarket from a needless distance away - adding to CO2 emissions. And that it hasn't been produced using poor methods or worker conditions. The amount of waste created is significant, both in packaging and food that is thrown out.

More of us are starting to think that it's a bad idea to be growing food solely to feed livestock. And we're becoming increasingly aware of the meat industry's greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing meat intake would also mean that less land would be needed to produce food - thus reducing the need to replace natural habitats with farmland.

Student Eats- just what they grow

Here at the NUS we're supporting the Get Gobby competition. And we're running projects like Student Eats which help to address all of these issues simultaneously.

Putting growing sites in the heart of campuses across the UK, students are taking control of creating local, low carbon, organic food. They're attracting more engagement month after month.

Thinking more about what you eat can help to lessen your environmental impact. Most people go to the supermarket and buy whatever they need without much thought about how it got there. But with more education, many people are choosing to be more discerning, demonstrating how important campaigns of this nature can be. 

Enter the competition now and you could win £500

I can't wait to see what students come up with to help people be greener in their eating habits.

If you are a student or know some students then do check out the competition details.