Throughout January, millions of people across Europe will be making resolutions to get healthier in 2020, but by committing to changing food habits to improve health and wellbeing, they also have the power to save the planet at the same time.
Cool Food, a digital tool designed to recommend and capture commitments from individuals to change their food habits, has created simple challenges to help people make healthier food choices whilst simultaneously making a noticeable CO2 saving. Cool Food is the result of a collaboration with Al’Terre Breizh and PECT. The project has been co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England Programme, which promotes cross border co-operation.The Cool Food commitments encourage users to adopt planet-friendly flexitarian diets, including swapping one meat-based meal for a vegetarian meal every day or even introducing dairy free days into every week. These swaps not only result in reducing the consumption of foods that are high in saturated fats, but can also save more than 2kg of carbon per day.
Another commitment encourages users to cook as many meals at home as possible, avoiding tempting takeaways and ready-meals to create a healthier home-cooked meal, and, at the same time, reducing the CO2 required for the collection or delivery of the takeaway food.
Stuart Dawks, interim CEO at PECT, commented: “The New Year is the perfect time to make a change and challenge ourselves to try something new. Whilst plenty of us are looking for ways to make healthier food choices, changing the way we eat has huge untapped potential to positively impact global warming. Taking the Cool Food challenge allows people to make more informed, conscious and healthy food choices by understanding the impact of their food habits on themselves and the planet.”
Research also indicates that nine in ten people will break their New Year diet within just 12 days of starting, but to keep the momentum going Cool Food harnesses the trend for personal tracking and invites users to track the positive impact of the healthy, environmentally conscious food choices they are making.
By showing individuals, communities and organisations the real-time impact of their choices, the tool empowers people to work together to reduce CO2 emissions, whilst pursuing healthier eating habits, and is having a positive impact on the hundreds of users already signed up.
Marie Egreteau, training manager from Al’Terre Breizh commented: “If we are going to lower our carbon footprints, we need to tackle the issue together – it’s that simple. The wonderful thing about Cool Food is that it offers a ready-made community of people making small changes which all add up to a big impact”.
To join the hundreds of people who have already pledged to make healthier food choices and save carbon through the Cool Food challenge visit: http://coolfood.net/en/ and make your pledge today.
Cool Food is a Franco-British project created under the INTERREG FRANCE (CHANNEL) ENGLAND Programme. It supports the transition to a low-carbon economy in the food sector and is a collaboration with Al’Terre Breizh and PECT.