"Try a new vegan recipe every Sunday evening".
How can city dwellers eat healthily and sustainably?
A varied diet based on plant products is good for the climate, the environment and health: in other words, lots of fruit and vegetables, varied sources of carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice or pasta, preferably organic or wholemeal. We cover our protein needs with moderate meat consumption about two to three times a week and a variety of plant-based proteins. It's better to eat vegetable fats and nuts more often than animal fats, sweets and salty foods.
If I want to shop sustainably in Zurich, what three tips can I look out for?
Buying seasonal products from the region guarantees short transport routes without air transport and you support our local food system. In addition, greenhouses that are heated with fossil fuels are avoided. This can be experienced particularly well at the markets that take place 11 times a week.
Which labels can we look out for when shopping?
Admittedly, it is difficult to recognise which label is really sustainable. In-depth, independent information can be found at www.labelinfo.ch, for example. The labels recommended there help you to find environmentally and socially responsible products. One credible and established label is Bio Knospe. Organic farms, for example, have a 30% higher biodiversity than conventional farms. But IP Suisse products or MSC/ASC for fish are also considered recommendable. For exotic products such as tea, coffee, chocolate or fruit, Fairtrade labels are also important (e.g. Max Havelaar). Finally, buying sustainably also means not buying too much, which helps us avoid food waste.
What about a certificate of origin or a traffic light system for food? When will we see this in our shops?
Migros recently launched a climate and animal welfare scale. So you will see this in the shops very soon. Food labels or even traffic light systems are complex. So far, there is no common, binding standard like a climate traffic light. We expect the greatest possible transparency from a nationally coordinated, harmonised approach. That is why we are not planning a Zurich-specific label just for our city.
It is often said that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food. Is that true?
Fortunately, that is not the case. A study by the HAFL University of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences showed that a healthy, balanced basket of fresh produce costs only a little more than its unhealthy counterpart. The most expensive way to eat healthily is to rely on several convenience and semi-prepared products. Whereby these costs are still below the average expenditure on food of a couple household with low income. Generally speaking, fruits, vegetables, plant-based protein sources such as legumes, and carbohydrate sources such as rice, pasta or potatoes are on average cheaper than meat and animal products. In addition, fresh food and seasonal products are cheaper than ready-made products.
Switzerland currently has a self-sufficiency rate of 48% - how can this be increased and why would this make sense?
A higher degree of self-sufficiency would give us more transparency and greater resilience if global commodity flows come to a standstill. This is a scenario we all witnessed last year. But it is not our goal to eliminate all imports. There is also a whole range of products that can only be produced here with difficulty or not at all, e.g. tropical fruits or coffee. So it remains important to look at the entire production chain - also outside the city and country borders.
Corona affects many people. How do you still manage to focus on sustainable food?
The beauty of the topic is: we have the opportunity to become more sustainable three times a day. Especially now, when people are eating more at home, is an optimal time. Many people have also done this, so sales in direct marketing, via markets and of organic products have risen sharply. People are baking and making more themselves. The best way to succeed is to set concrete, feasible goals and gradually expand. For example, you can resolve to try a new vegan recipe every Sunday evening. Or you could optimise your shopping routine to avoid food waste. You could also look specifically for sustainable alternatives and start with one group of goods, e.g. fish. Those who are more advanced can change their summer barbecue range, for example, as the range of alternatives has literally exploded in recent years. That's how you find new habits and gradually expand them.
Do we in Zurich have to do without in order to eat more sustainably? Where is the enjoyment?
Enjoyment is the prerequisite. First and foremost, it is important to us to show what the effects of our diet are and what possibilities everyone has to contribute to an improvement. We want to address and activate the population, but not patronise them. Eating healthy and environmentally friendly is enjoyable. Try it out!
Pictures by Andreas Hauri: Giorgia Müller
Info Box
How Zurich becomes more sustainable
What we eat affects our health and our environment. Our diet causes one third of the environmental pollution and 20 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions of the goods we consume. Zurich has therefore developed a strategy for a more sustainable diet. The city wants to set an example (for example, in its approximately 450 municipal catering establishments), create more sustainable procurement criteria throughout the value chain (for example, promote cooperation with regional actors) and make sustainable nutrition accessible to all (for example, by informing the public about the impact of nutrition on the climate).
To achieve these goals, the City of Zurich relies on five pillars:
- Promote regional production and distribution: The city promotes farms, allotments, farm shops, student gardens and green spaces. In this way, it brings the variety of food grown here closer to the population and raises awareness of the connections between nutrition, health, nature and the environment.
- Procurement and catering: The 450 municipal catering companies provide around 7 million menus per year. Together they can make a difference for the good of the environment. The City of Zurich is planning workshops for representatives of the city's catering businesses, wants to adjust portion sizes, is working with Too Good To Go for old people's centres, is working on the Labelflagge project to label sustainable products and is increasingly offering balanced menus in its businesses.
- Food waste and disposal: The city wants to waste less food in its own businesses, but also with private organisers. The idea: raise awareness in workshops for staff and introduce targeted improvement measures (e.g. serve smaller portions and seconds if requested, work with Too Good To Go, publicise Save Food Fight Waste campaign).
- Information and education: Education for Sustainable Development' enjoys a high priority in Curriculum 21: The topic of nutrition is examined more closely in home economics lessons, in the 82 school and student gardens and in other subjects. Specialists are now to be able to take further training on the topics of ecological and healthy nutrition. In addition, the city is expanding its nature school programmes.
- Cooperation and monitoring: Through cooperation, the City of Zurich wants to exchange knowledge, use synergies and apply successful models more widely. In order to measure progress, a monitoring system with meaningful key figures is being set up, among others in cooperation with the Zurich Nutrition Forum or the ZHAW.
Here are some concrete tips from the City of Zurich on what we can do to eat more sustainably.
More information on the City of Zurich's action strategy can be found here.
