5 Awesome Apps That Will Help You Make Sustainable Food Choices
Most of us wish we could make better decisions about our food and where it comes from, but where is the best place to look for solutions? Enter app technology, which can contain fast and accurate answers to many of our burning food sustainability questions (and has the added benefit of sitting right in our pockets).
Here are five of our favourite sustainability-based food apps currently operating in the Australian market.
1. Fair Food Forager
Free, iOS and Android
These guys do the research so you don’t have to. Fair Food forager makes it easy to find and share your fairer food experiences.
The app lists hundreds of sustainable restaurants, cafes and grocery stores across Australia. You can search healthy, ethical and sustainable food options in your location and share new food discoveries with other users.
Thanks to environmentally conscious users that have been busily searching and sharing their own fair food discoveries, the FFF app now lists about 400 sustainable food options Australia-wide.
These include 300 businesses that are sourcing their produce locally, supporting local farmers and other local producers.
2. Sustainable Seafood Guide
Free, iOS and Android
This app by Australian Marine Conservation Society organises over 90 seafood species into 3 simple groups: what you shouldn’t eat and why, species you should try to avoid and the most sustainable choices. Both Australian and imported species are included.
The Guide is Australia’s original online resource for consumers seeking to make responsible seafood choices, and was developed in response to growing public concern about overfishing, farming practices and their impact on our oceans and wildlife.
You’ll be covered for most seafood found in fishmongers, supermarkets, fish and chip shops and restaurants.
3. ABC Vegie Guide
Free, iOS only
Why buy produce when you can grow your own? Whether you’re a novice or an experienced gardener trying to grow some of your own, the ABC Vegie Guide has recommendations on what’s best to plant, and when – all depending on where you live.
This app will help even the blackest thumb produce healthy crops year-round; arming you with growing tips and the best ways to control pests and disease.
4. POI – Palm Oil Investigations Barcode Scanner
Free, iOS only
Palm oil is often a hidden ingredient that is rarely labelled by its correct name. This app has all the features and tools required to regulate the palm oil industry, putting power in the hands of the consumer and encouraging them to support companies using ethical palm oil.
The barcode scanner works for Australian and New Zealand products, and has been developed to assist concerned consumers identify palm usage in products so that information purchasing decisions can be made prior to purchase.
It’s as easy as scanning the product barcode, reading the status, and selecting an alternative ethical product.
5. Shop Ethical!
Available on Android ($4.94), and iOS ($5.99)
When next doing the groceries, simply scan a product’s barcode to get its ‘ethical rating’. It’s all based on the environmental and social track record of the companies behind more than 4000 products.
The app covers companies behind common brands you buy in Australian supermarkets and beyond, and enables consumers to shop with a clear conscience.
