Peatlands are precious – but right now they’re being destroyed on a staggering scale in the UK. And a huge amount of that destruction is because peat is being dug up to grow the vegetables we eat.
Family favourite foods from mushrooms and lettuces to blueberries and even the trusty potato all use peat in the growing process – making it very hard to have a peat-free home.
Peat is brilliant in the ground where it belongs – it’s not needed to grow our food and we want to see peat-free options on the shelves.
In fact, the use of peat for food production and gardening has a drastic knock-on effect for wildlife, carbon stores, flood risks and water quality.
It’s never been more vital to protect our peatlands – be part of the movement and help put an end to peat sales!
What’s the Problem?
Did you know that many of the everyday vegetables you get from the supermarket, from salad leaves to onions, are grown using peat?
The peat used to grow our food comes directly from the destruction of our peatlands – a climate-saving habitat found across the UK which reduces floods, holds water in drought and locks up billions of tonnes of carbon.
Peat is being dug up for our weekly shop much faster than it can form, which makes this devastating process unsustainable as we watch this rare habitat disappear.
It takes 1,000 years to grow just one metre of peat. And we use 760,000m3 every year to grow plants and food. That puts the staggering amount we use annually into perspective.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
We all have our part to play in saving our peatlands – including our supermarkets.
What Can You Do?
We need everyone to help in the fight to put an end to peat sales!
- Reach out to your local supermarkets to tell them that you want to keep peat off your plate and in the peatlands
- Help us spread the word and share with your friends
What is The Solution?
We need supermarkets to play their part in saving peatlands for people and the planet.
Retailers can get peat out of our homes by:
- Clearly labelling products which are grown using peat extracted from peatlands, so customers can shop with confidence
- Reducing and removing peat from their supply chains
- Asking the UK Government to set legislation to end peat sales, and support the transition to peat-free for growers