Food and the environment are inextricably linked with a week not passing without a news story about sustainable fishing, genetically modified corn or free range livestock. We all know about the organic choices we can make in the supermarket and many of us do follow simple rules like purchasing free range produce where possible, drinking tap rather than bottled water and avoiding excessively packaged products. What about in restaurants? How do we know that the produce we are consuming is sustainably sourced? A new trend in most towns and cities restaurant communities has been the rise of the eco friendly restaurant with certain eateries being dedicated to using only sustainably sourced organic produce. The distance that ingredients travel from their source is one of the primary considerations and has led to sustainable food being linked to locally produced ingredients that invariably will change with the seasons reflecting what is being grown at the different times of year. Reducing food miles (the term used to describe how far food travels from its source) is great way of eating while keeping one eye out for the environment both at home and when dining out.
