The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Earth Day – how to eat sustainably Posted: 21 Apr 2014 05:13 PM PDT To officially kick-start your new lifestyle, or to reaffirm your existing commitment, host an Earth Dinner, suggest Earth Day organisers. The basic tenets of an Earth Dinner should be that foods revolve around local, sustainable, and organic cuisine – foods that "care for the planet", they say. Consumers are also encouraged to learn about the farmer who grew their carrots or the history of the recipe. To help empower diners' relationship with food, earthdinner.org provides ice breaker questions to pose around the dinner table that include asking people to share their earliest food memory, favourite comfort food or favourite recipe. Meanwhile, the WWF also provides helpful suggestions on how to green your fridge and reduce your food impact on the planet. Here are a few highlights: Reduce meat consumption One of the most immediate ways to green up your diet is to reduce your consumption of meat. The raising, production and distribution of meat leaves a major carbon footprint – think water, feed, pesticides, animal waste and land use. Reduce cheese consumption Vegetarians who eat a lot of cheese to compensate for the lack of meat, however, have nothing to be smug about. According to the Environmental Working Group, cheese generates the third-highest carbon emissions after lamb and beef. Try reducing your consumption. Reduce food waste According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, in 2012 more than 36 million tonnes of food from American households were thrown in the garbage. In the UK, Brits waste 30% of the food they buy. For perspective, that's like buying 10 shopping bags worth of groceries and chucking three bags directly in the garbage. To avoid contributing to this shameful spiral of waste, WWF suggests planning your shopping and meals carefully. To avoid wasting foods, save chicken bones to make homemade stock, or compost leftovers. Buy certified produce Look for trusted certifications like MSC for fish, Fairtrade, and Rainforest Alliance labels, as well as sustainably sourced palm oil to eat guilt-free. Buy local and seasonal produce Eating with the seasons and what's available is often tastier and cheaper. For instance, British tomatoes produced in the winter are likely grown in artificially heated greenhouses. Reduce consumption of processed foods Not only are they likely to be bad for you, but heavily processed foods are more resource-intensive to produce. Instead, discover the pleasure of cooking from scratch with seasonal, fresh ingredients. Don't become a food mile-counter As the WWF points out, counting food miles has become a misguided philosophy. Foods grown in natural sunlight, for instance, may have a lower environmental impact than the same food grown less efficiently in winter. Likewise, many farmers in developing countries rely on exporting their goods for their livelihoods. – AFP/Relaxnews, April 22, 2014. |
| Powdered alcohol poised to hit US stores Posted: 21 Apr 2014 04:55 PM PDT Palcohol is made by an Arizona company called Lipsmark and will come in six varieties of single-drink pouches, the company website says. Drinkers can stir in simple water for a shot of rum or vodka, add cola or orange juice for a mixer or create a cocktail – either a Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Margarita or Lemon Drop. The company said it was taken by surprise by the recent release of some of its labels by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which "actually approved it some time ago". The company said the product will be sold to people of legal drinking age and could even be sprinkled on food. "Think of Palcohol as liquor... just in powder form. It will be sold anywhere where liquor can be sold," said the company, adding it will be available in the United States, as well as abroad and online. A patent for the mixture is pending. In response to consumer inquiries about whether the product could be snorted, the company described the askers as "goofballs" and said it would take a half cup of powder to equal one drink. "Don't do it! It is not a responsible or smart way to use the product," it urged. Powdered alcohol has already been approved for sale in Japan and some European countries. – AFP, April 22, 2014. |
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