Take action

It can often seem overwhelming thinking about food systems.
What can we do to drive and support change?

We've collated some ideas of things that consumers, retailers, producers, and policy-makers
can do to reduce the social and environmental impacts of our food system,
and pave the way for a new, fairer one.

Consumers

What should I buy?

Retailers

What should I sell?

Producers

What should I grow?

Policy-makers

How should we govern?

How can I make better choices about the food that I buy?

Often we have too much choice, but sometimes too little. How do we know what foods are best when the impacts are typically hidden?

Now that you know more about the impacts of salmon farming and greenhouse horticulture in Spain, what should you do about it?

We've summarised what we know about salmon farming and greenhouse horticulture to help you to decide what to buy.

Avoid farmed fish

Fish farming has wide-ranging negative impacts, and cheap fish means someone else pays. Eat other sources of protein, like plants or legumes.

Choose a diverse diet

Eating a diversity of different things isn't only good for your health, it also reduces your reliance on any single supply chain.

Don't waste food

Make sure you only buy what you know you will eat. If in doubt, pop it in the freezer for later!

Buy direct

If you can afford and access it, buy direct from producers, ensuring they get a fair price and can pass on profits to pay their workers well.

Write to your MP

Use our sample letter to tell your MP how you feel about the food that is being grown and sold in your area.

Write to retailers

Ask your local supermarkets to stop stocking farmed salmon.

Join a movement

Find a local organisation to join, for example working to redistribute waste food, create an agroecological food garden, or protest salmon farm expansion.

Have conversations

Talk to friends and family about the food you buy, where it comes from, and how it is produced. This is how democratic food systems begin!

How can we tell what products to stock?

You want to provide consistent produce to your customers at an affordable price, but how can you be sure that your procurement choices are free from social and environmental risks?

We've provided some advice on how you can find out more about the impacts of the products you stock on your shelves.

Don't sell salmon

Salmon farming has huge negative impacts. Stock only wild fish or, better yet, plant-based alternatives.

Research certification schemes

Many certification schemes are insufficiently policed or facilitate greenwashing. Research the schemes and their criticisms carefully.

Source direct

Find producers who you can buy from directly, giving them a fairer price and facilitating supply chain transparency for you.

Promote transparency

Demonstrate in-store that you are thinking carefully about the impacts of your supply chains, for example by displaying farmer information alongside produce.

Collaborate on storytelling

Work with groups like The Salmon and the Tomato to raise awareness about food system impacts amongst your customers.

Audit your supply chains

Spend time examining where you source your produce from and the potential impacts those producers might have on people and the environment.

How can I produce more ethically?

Producing food can be incredibly challenging—the pressure to provide food at low wholesale prices in a consistent way is particularly challenging. How can you prioritise sustainability of your business whilst trying to act ethically and in an environmentally sustainable way?

The advice here can help you to be sure that you are producing food ethically, with minimal impacts on the environment and people.

Pay a fair wage

Ensure all workers receive fair wages and benefits, reflecting the full value of their labour and supporting economic justice in food production.

Contribute to community

Engage with local communities by supporting initiatives that strengthen social cohesion, improve food access, and empower stakeholders within the food system.

Minimise environmental impacts

Adopt practices that reduce resource use, pollution, and waste, protecting ecosystems and promoting long-term sustainability in production.

Provide transparency

Disclose environmental, social, and operational practices openly, enabling accountability and building trust with consumers and stakeholders.

Sell direct

Offer products directly to consumers or local markets, strengthening community connections, shortening supply chains, and enabling fairer prices for both producers and buyers.

Audit your supply chains

Regularly review and assess all stages of your supply chains to ensure ethical practices, traceability, and compliance with social and environmental standards.

How should we govern food systems ethically and sustainably?

Often policies shape the food system in ways we don’t fully see. Decisions about regulation, incentives, or oversight can have hidden environmental, social, and economic impacts.

With a clearer understanding of the impacts of salmon farming and greenhouse horticulture in Spain, you can design measures that reduce environmental harm, strengthen social and labour protections, and encourage sustainable, equitable practices.

We’ve summarised the key effects to support evidence-based, effective decision-making.

Implement integrated food policy

Coordinate policies across seafood and greenhouse agriculture to address environmental, social, and economic impacts holistically throughout the food system.

Mandate supply chain transparency

Require producers to disclose environmental, social, and labour impacts across salmon and greenhouse operations, enabling accountability and informed policy decisions.

Legislate circular resource use

Promote and enforce recovery and reuse of nutrients, water, and materials across salmon and greenhouse production to reduce waste and close resource loops.

Support community monitoring

Support community-led monitoring initiatives that enhance transparency and stakeholder oversight of salmon farming and greenhouse operations.

Incentivise sustainability

Encourage sustainable practices by providing targeted incentives for producers who adopt low-impact feed, renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, and waste-reducing techniques.

Ban salmon farming expansion

Impose a moratorium on expansion of the salmon farming industry and provide full transparent data on farm mortalities.

Protect farmworker rights

Ensure farmworker justice by safeguarding labour rights, improving working conditions, guaranteeing fair wages, and addressing the inequalities created by global food supply chains.