Mad About Food: Sustainability quiz

How sustainable is the food you buy and eat? Are you aware of the issues that crop up every time you pick something off the supermarket shelf? Test yourself on food, fish and other sustainable factors.

1.) Sustainability quiz

Put these countries in order of their scores (highest first) on the 2006 Environmental Performance Index:

1. New Zealand, Sweden, Niger
   
2. Niger, New Zealand, Sweden
   
3. Sweden, New Zealand, Niger
   

2.) Sustainability quiz

Which of these is not sustainable for UK customers?

1. Eating Spanish lettuce in winter
   
2. Eating cod fish fingers
   
3. Eating British-grown tomatoes in July
   

3.) Sustainability quiz

If the UK was covered in rainforest, how long would it take before it was cut down, at the current rate of deforestation?

1. More than 10 years
   
2. More than 7 years
   
3. Less than 2 years
   

4.) Sustainability quiz

Recycling one tonne of paper can save:

1. 7,000 gallons of water
   
2. 1,000 gallons of water
   
3. 3,000 gallons of water
   

5.) Sustainability quiz

* Reuse. Recycle.

1. Reproduce.
   
2. Reduce.
   
3. Replicate.
   

6.) Sustainability quiz

Which of these fish are not farmed in the UK?

1. Turbot
   
2. Sea Trout
   
3. Lemon sole
   

7.) Sustainability quiz

Which of these foods is not in season in October in the UK?

1. Asparagus
   
2. Venison
   
3. Walnuts
   

8.) Sustainability quiz

Which fish is approved by the Marine Conservation Society as sustainable to eat?

1. Ling
   
2. Dab
   
3. Snapper
   

Answers

1. New Zealand ranked top. Sweden was second and Niger 133rd according to the EPI index which ranks countries on how they address environmental health challenges and contribute to ecosystem vitality.
2. Eating cod fish fingers. Cod stocks are low and at risk of over fishing. Eating imported lettuce from Spain can produce fewer emissions than heating facilities to grow lettuce in the UK in winter. Sustainability campaigners recommend buying locally grown fruit and vegetables when they are in season.
3. Less than two years - 416 days Rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 acres per minute, according to Rainforest Action Network.
4. 7,000 gallons of water. It also saves 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space and 4,000 KW of energy.
5. Reduce. Even recycling uses energy, so reducing and reusing are higher priorities.
6. Lemon sole. But it is a species, along with Arctic charr, haddock, and spotted wolfish, that could be farmed in the UK in the future.
7. Asparagus. Asparagus is mainly in season May, June, early July.
8. Dab, which is a flatfish and good alternative to plaice. The Marine Conservation Society believe Ling and Snapper are among the species of fish which are most vulnerable to over-fishing and/or are fished using methods which cause damage to the environment or non-target species.

Your Score

0 - 3 : Slash and burn

4 - 6 : Too many omissions

7 - 8 : Blooming marvellous