Good Day Deli is a Sustainable Foods Deli serving a mix of local, seasonal, organic and fair trade foods with a commitment to sustainability throughout our food chain. We believe that good food choices are a tangible way to take responsibility for the environment and drive demand for sustainable food systems.
We are mainly a vegetarian cafe and about 50% of our dishes are or can be made vegan. As a vegetarian of 10 years, I (Clare) really admire those who are vegan. For anyone considering the switch, it’s important not to feel that it is an all or nothing approach - small but sure changes to our food choices can have big benefits for the environment.
Aisling has been a vegan for just under 2 years and here is her experience - “Becoming vegan can seem a little bit scary or unfeasible for some people. People often tell me they could never give up cheese or ice cream or chicken nuggets after a night out. I always thought the same way and that an insatiable craving for cheese would cause the inevitable failure of any attempt to go vegan. So I gave a couple of unenthused attempts at veganism and would consistently return two or three days later with my tail between my legs and a block of parmesan in hand - my valiant attempt to save the world completely ruined and unsalvageable.
For me the key to success was to eliminate the all-or-nothing mindset mentioned earlier. I stopped trying to become a militant vegan overnight and (mostly for fear of said militant vegans catching me in a ‘lie’) dubbed myself “as plant based as possible”. I phased things out gradually starting with having oat milk in a coffee instead of cow milk, this naturally lead to me slowly ending my long term relationship with cheese. The thing to remember is reducing your intake at all is helping in the long term and it’s ok to eat cheese 2 out of 10 times when you would usually have had it 10 out of 10 times. There is no omnipotent, omnipresent vegan deity smiting those who dare eat an egg once a week.
I personally feel so much healthier in myself since going vegan, and it’s possible at any age (I am a huge fan of Pádraig Howley on Instagram who is documenting his vegan journey!). Vegan meat substitutes can be great to get started on your journey or for a bit of comfort food, but they’re highly processed and vegetables are actually far more versatile! The hardest thing is to just get started and once you do you’ll realise how much fun it is to cook vegan food, as you really have to engage with the flavours and taste as you go - it really leads to mindful cooking and I promise it is possible to forget what cheese tastes like”
There is a wide range of research to demonstrate that animal based foods are more resource intensive than plant based foods in terms of land use, water use and GHG emissions. Cutting out meat has huge benefits for the environment, but it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook in terms of the “foodprint” of your food. Lifecycle assessments assess environmental impacts across the whole supply chain, analysing water use, energy use etc. at production, processing, packaging, transport, storage and waste management. A study on the UK vegetable market found that the impacts of fresh vegetables that are air freighted are five times higher than vegetables produced domestically. However, in some cases it is better to import vegetables as opposed to growing them domestically in intensive heated greenhouses, even when transport is considered. Food systems are complex, you can only make the best decision based on the information available to you, and that’s a super way to start.
Our recommendation on how to ensure that plant-based or any food choices are sustainable is to “Think Thrice for Sustainability” by asking yourself the following questions.
How is my food produced?
Protect Nature: By choosing organic, it means that the producer is protecting our land, biodiversity, soils and waterways on our behalf for now and for future generations. Where possible, choose local growers who focus on regenerating soils by avoiding chemical fertilisers and pesticides, using natural inputs instead. This also improves water quality in our rivers and estuaries.
Choose Value: Cheap food can cause climate change, biodiversity loss, soil and water degradation. Sustainable food has environmental, economic and social benefits that are sometimes reflected in slightly higher prices, i.e. the true cost of food. Choose value over price when you can to protect natural resources and livelihoods. Loss leading strategies by large supermarkets can compromise the prices producers receive for their products and make it harder for smaller growers to compete.
Choose Whole Foods: It’s tempting to default to highly processed plant based meat substitutes which are tasty. However, these aren’t always better for you or the environment. Our chefs take time and energy to hand make our vegan burgers and fritters from scratch starting with raw ingredients such as organic lentils and seasonal vegetables with no additives or preservatives.
Is my food local or imported?
Buy Local and Seasonal: Choose local, seasonal food when you can. You’ll support a local food system with low food miles, low emissions, appropriate land use and a local economy supporting communities and creating jobs. Do you need sweet potato fries from the US, or would hand cut potato fries from Ireland do the trick?
Check Your Foodprint: Think about where your food comes from, who grew it, how it was grown and the natural resources used for the food to travel to your plate. At Good Day Deli, we have never served avocados. Demand from the Western world means that production of avocados has resulted in deforestation and water use issues affecting communities in countries such as Mexico. Avocado emissions are 5 times more than a banana, but are still lower than meat. If you can’t give up avocados (let’s face it, they are delicious), make sure to look for fair trade, organic avocados to make sure you’re supporting the local communities, and don’t let them go to waste!
Question Supply Chains: Ask, research, educate yourself. If imported, choose organic and fair trade when possible, so communities and the land where the food is grown is protected.
How is my food packaged and stored?
Think Reusable: Avoid plastic when possible and choose no packaging or reusable options such as glass and tote bags. But, make sure to reuse to make your decision worthwhile or at a minimum recycle. Glass is infinitely recyclable and an example of circular resource. Ireland has good infrastructure for recycling glass which saves a lot of carbon dioxide and other natural resources rather than making it from scratch.
Compost Correctly: Compostable containers are only compostable if put in a brown bin. Otherwise, they are pretty much like using a single use container and can contaminate a recycling bin. Compostable is better than plastic, but it’s only a good choice if you dispose of it correctly.
Waste Not: At Good Day Deli we are aiming towards zero waste and always looking at ways to improve our systems. We have almost eliminated cling film by using air tight containers for storage. In terms of prep waste, we look at ways to reuse clippings with fermentation or pickling. Our hibiscus soda is made using the syrup from our poached pears, which would otherwise be wasted. Egg whites are used for roulades, carrot clippings are used in our carrot cake and tomato off cuts are used for our in house ketchup. How you store your food prolongs life, limits food waste and allows you to get creative!
Although consumers show care for the environment there is still a gap between concern and action due to price, lack of knowledge and limited availability. Having these 3 simple questions on your mind when you shop will help you make choices that are better for you and the environment.
