Meatloaf, roast chicken, chickpea stew: what’s for dinner tonight? When you are thinking about what to make, how much does sustainability factor into your menu and recipe decisions? Here at FoodPrint, we’ve made it our mission to help you incorporate your desire to support a better food system into your grocery or farmers’ market shopping. There are many signs that shoppers are looking for food that is better for animals, people and planet. For example, organic food sales grew a record five percent in 2019, continuing an upward trend, and you can find organic products in three out of four conventional grocery stores. Even fast food chains like Just Salad and Chipotle are incorporating labels that help people track the environmental impacts of their food choices.

Two recently published guide books also indicate shoppers are looking for more guidance: Sophie Eagen’s “How to Be A Conscious Eater” and Kate Bratskeir’s “A Pocket Guide to Sustainable Food Shopping” both offer to help you navigate the grocery store, read labels and shop, all while reducing your own impact and foodprint. The ideas they put forth echo ours, and we’ve consolidated them here into six key steps.