Sustainability – FoodWatcher

Lionfish Are Harming Our Oceans—Here’s One (Delicious) Way to Fight Them

Lionfish first appeared in the United States in 1985, off Florida’s Atlantic coast. Native to the coral reefs around the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, they were originally brought to the States as exotic pets. It’s believed that some of these pet owners eventually released their fish into local waterways—and unknowingly introduced an invasive species to the Gulf of Mexico.

Lionfish have no natural predators in the Gulf, can lay between 27,000 to 100,000 eggs every 2.5 days, and decimate the ecology of local fish by consuming about 20 smaller fish every 30 minutes. After their initial appearance in Florida, they quickly spread to other states, but Florida continues to suffer from some of the most extreme consequences. In our southernmost state, lionfish wreak havoc on the food supply of native fish like grouper and snapper, and their overconsumption of herbivorous fish results in damage to the reefs that line the Florida coast. It’s a dangerous combination that could result in lionfish causing grave damage to the delicate balance of life in and around Florida, and all the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. That’s where marine biologist Alex Fogg comes in.

The Plastic-Free, Reusable Wraps That’ll Keep Your Food Fresh

Anyone who frequently cooks or bakes knows just how quickly kitchen waste can pile up. There are the compostable bits—eggshells, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds—and the trash that can only end up in the bin, like plastic wrap and packaging.
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If you try to fill your home with products that are mindful of the environment but have struggled to find a reliable swap for plastic wrap, you'll be thrilled to learn about Bee's Wrap.

A Practical Approach to Reducing Food Waste, According to Manhattan’s Marea

Marea, a sizable restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, did not reduce its food waste with “5 easy hacks” or some miracle composting machine. Instead, the restaurant addressed the issue practically and methodically—and it’s exactly how you could reduce waste…

Since 2022, Marea has operated as a “zero waste” restaurant, meaning that at least 90 percent of its produced waste is diverted from landfills. Instead of hauling its garbage to a New York City dumpster—which could end up rotting in Ohio—nearly all of this restaurant’s waste is sent to a commercial composting plant, where it’s processed and transformed into organic fertilizer.

The Best Oysters You Can Buy Are Probably Online

A few weeks ago, I shucked 50 oysters. It wasn’t in a restaurant kitchen—in the past, this would’ve been an hour’s work on any Thursday—or part of recipe testing in the Food52 office, but at my friend Nick’s apartment. And unlike all the other oysters I’ve shucked, these weren’t purchased from a fish market or restaurant distributor—they were bought online and shipped directly to his Brooklyn apartment. They were also absolutely delicious.

The day prior, the oysters I shucked—plus the other 50 that Nick ordered and opened himself—sat along the bottom of the Long Island Sound, roughly 50 miles away from his apartment. As someone who loves oysters, but is naturally skeptical of ordering shellfish online, I was curious: How the hell did these get here, and how are they so perfect?

This Dutch Cheesemaker is Making Sustainability Taste Very Gouda

We’ve teamed up with our pals at Artikaas to shine a spotlight on sustainability in Dutch cheesemaking, from eco-friendly dairy practices to harnessing the flavor of each season in their cheeses.

When someone mentions the Netherlands, your mind may …

We've teamed up with our pals at Artikaas to shine a spotlight on sustainability in Dutch cheesemaking, from eco-friendly dairy practices to harnessing the flavor of each season in their cheeses.

When someone mentions the Netherlands, your mind may go to tulip fields, windmills, or wooden shoes. Maybe you think of canals and bikes, or perhaps Van Gogh. “Going Dutch” has long been synonymous with splitting a tab among friends. But since at least the 12th century, going Dutch has also meant a deep connection to the land—and a cheesemaking tradition squarely rooted in environmental stewardship.

What Is Animal-Free Milk?

Last week, Sprouts Farmers Market, the supermarket chain known for its wide selection of natural and organic foods, announced that it will begin selling animal-free milk at its nearly 400 locations across the country. Animal-free milk—as the name suggests—doesn’t come from cows. It’s not made from almonds, oats, or soy, either. Instead, it comes from a database.

Animal-free milk, also known as cell-cultured milk, is a vegan milk alternative made through a process known as precision fermentation. The process begins by 3D printing milk’s DNA sequence onto yeast or fungi. The printed DNA is then fed plant-based nutrients until it produces a milk-like whey protein. That protein is separated, dried into powder, and used to make—what we call—animal-free milk.

Bamboo Paper Towels: Why You Should Use (& Love) Them

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

You don’t have to be like Monica Geller from Friends to appreciate the…

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

You don’t have to be like Monica Geller from Friends to appreciate the joys of a clean home. Polished floors, sparkling countertops, and a shower free of mildew are some of life’s simple pleasures, though the process of going from dust and grime to sleek and shine can be quite laborious.

Is This High-Tech Food Waste Solution Better Than Composting?

Heads up: This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns a commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Since 2019, I’ve tried my best to keep food out of the landfill (and fr…

Heads up: This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns a commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Since 2019, I’ve tried my best to keep food out of the landfill (and from stinking up my trash cans). I’ve kept scraps in the freezer, which took up all of the freezer space, and eventually found a great solution in the Bamboozle Bamboo Compost Bin, which I got a year ago and love. The charcoal filter in the lid virtually eliminates the smell of rotting food and I haven’t had any bug issues, even during hot New York City summers. My building has a city-provided food scrap bin downstairs where I empty it regularly. I’ve also taken advantage of community compost programs like NBK Compost and Brooklyn Scrap Shuffle.

How America’s Dairy Farmers Are Making Cheese Greener (& Better) Than Ever

We’ve teamed up with Dairy Farmers of America and The Nerd Herd to shine a spotlight on the sustainability efforts of their family farm-owners, from farm to table to cheesemakers and beyond.

Between Buffalo and the Finger Lakes, there stands a 143-y…

We’ve teamed up with Dairy Farmers of America and The Nerd Herd to shine a spotlight on the sustainability efforts of their family farm-owners, from farm to table to cheesemakers and beyond.

Between Buffalo and the Finger Lakes, there stands a 143-year-old tree surrounded by vast acres of neon-green pastures. The tree, one of the largest cottonwoods in the state of New York, was planted in 1880 by Frank Tillotson, who had just bought the land to raise dairy cows. He named his emergent business Cottonwood Farms after the tree—a business that is not only still thriving today, but innovating.