Challenge 5: Fair Trade

Sustainable cooking isn’t just about the final product. Making good choices when sourcing ingredients is just as important: where they come from, who produces them, how they’re packaged and how you use them makes a great difference.

• Look for Fairtrade: Products such as coffee or chocolate can get certifications that guarantee that producers have been paid a fair amount and production is run under economic, environmental and social standards. Do some research beforehand to know what each certification means.

• Avoid excess packaging: Processed foods aren’t just bad for your health they also tend to have a lot of packaging which is bad for the environment and a drain on resources. Try to choose fresh products or those that use the least amount of packaging and always recycle or reuse the packaging you do have.

• Reduce food waste: According to theWorld Food Programme, one third of all food produced worldwide (1.3 billion tons) is never consumed.  This means that one third of the resources used for food production are also wasted. Plan ahead when buying food and ensure you store it properly so it doesn’t spoil. Save leftovers for future meals and create recipes that make the most of ingredients, wasting as little as possible.

• Avoid overconsumption: Portion control is not just important for your health, overconsumption of food is bad for the environment too. Use smaller plates in order to encourage serving reasonable portions and develop good eating habits: eat slowly, make sure you chew your food properly and don’t eat unless you’re hungry.

• Consider the carbon footprint: Different kinds of food with similar nutritional value can have very different environmental impact, so making responsible choices can make a difference. It’s important to do specific research about the CO2 footprint of each of the products we consume. For example, a vegetarian diet has a lower footprint than a normal one since livestock produces a lot of greenhouse gases and requires a lot of resources to feed.

To participate just follow these steps:

1. Take on the challenge. Every month, the Roca Brothers will use the SDG Fund social media accounts to launch a unique sustainable cooking challenge that will require you to come up with an innovative recipe idea.
2. Cook it.  Prepare a recipe that offers a unique approach to food preparation. You can share your recipe via simple write up, video or with photos.
3. Share it for good.  Get involved through

• Facebook: on SDGFund page, users must participate on challenge post comments
• Instagram: publish your picture/video recipe using the hashtag #Recipe4Change
• Twitter: using the hashtag #recipe4change tagging @SDGFund. Tell us what makes your recipe special in terms of sustainability.

Per each entry received, Ebro Foods will make a donation to SDG Fund's nutrition and food projects. This means your recipe will have a direct impact on the lives of people all over the world.