By Lianne Ponferrada, First Year, English Literature and Classical Studies
‘If I buy these strawberries, have I unknowingly supported genocide? Oh God, is this crisp packet going to outlive me, my children, my grandchildren, and their children?’ and ‘Can I even afford the more “ethical” version?’ are some of the thoughts that have crossed my mind since moving to Bristol. Additionally, seeing the bake sales for Palestine outside Senate House and briefly joining the Intersectional Feminist Society has pushed me towards contemplating the further ethical ramifications of my consumption habits.
Settling into a new city and trying to shop as ethically as possible is a tricky combination. This is why I have created this handy guide to sustainable grocery shopping, in hopes of making the transition into ethical eating easier for busy university students.
Refill Shops
I’d start off by recommending the countless refill shops across Bristol. These reduce single-use plastic as you’re expected to bring your own containers. They are brilliant for spices, cereals, rice, pasta, and other dried goods that you often buy in bulk as you avoid paying for packaging.
I’ve found the Scoop on Whiteladies Road has the best study snacks and sweet treats, ranging from chocolate buttons to crisps, dried seaweed, and nuts. They also stock hygiene items, such as shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, and laundry detergents. Popular across Bristol, there should be a refill shop near you:
- Scoop Wholefoods Bristol, 98A Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2QY
- Smaller Footprints, 9 Regent St, Clifton, BS8 4HW
- Preserve, 208 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8NU
- Preserve, 71 Westbury Hill, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3AD
- Preserve, 132 Church Rd, Redfield, BS5 9HH
- Preserve Foods, 72 East St, Bedminster, BS3 4EY
- Zero Green, 80 North St, Southville, BS3 1HJ
- Better Food, 1-5 Gaol Ferry Steps, BS1 6WE
- Better Food, Scrapstore House, 21 Sevier St, St Werburgh's, Bristol BS2 9LB
- Southville Deli Zero Waste, 253 North St, Southville, BS3 1JN
- Matter Wholefoods, 1 Greenbank Rd, BS5 6EZ
They aren’t as convenient as your local Sainsbury’s, so the transition might be tricky. But you do not have to start buying your entire weekly shops there. Perhaps when you next do your laundry, you could check out your local Scoop and pick up this (and next’s) month's supply.
Greengrocers
For fresh produce, greengrocers are your best bet! These are more sustainable as they limit transport emissions by selling local produce. This produce often comes from smaller farms, supporting our local farmers who practice more sustainable land management.
My favourite one is Local Gardens; their strawberries are huge! These are just as plentiful, so the next time you have a hankering for mango, raspberries, or something completely new, why don’t you check out these greengrocers?
- Reg the Veg, 6 Boyce's Ave, Clifton, BS8 4AA
- Full Basket Greengrocers & Food Store, 224 Cheltenham Rd, St Andrew's, BS6 5QU
- Hugo’s Greengrocer, 73 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1ES
- Gardner’s Patch, 159 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8BA
- Farm Fruits, 24 Cotham Hill, Redland, BS6 6LF
- East St. Fruit Market, 132-134 East St, Bedminster, BS3 4ET
- Local Garden, 136 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2RS
- Lloyds, 81 Henleaze Rd, Henleaze, BS9 4JP
- Chaya Veggies, 100 Mina Rd, St Werburgh's, BS2 9XW
- Sandy Park Greengrocers, 45 Sandy Park Rd, Brislington, BS4 3PH
- Chaya Canteen, 120 St Michael's Hill, BS2 8BU
- Sarah C. Veg, Carlton Court, 1-3 Carlton Ct, BS9 3DF
- Bristol Sweet Mart, 71-82 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JH
- Ashton Fruit Shop, 269 North St, Southville, BS3 1JN
Despite not paying for packaging, these shops often prioritise organic and high-quality items, driving their prices that might not be reasonable for most university students.
Ethical choices
That said, how can we make our supermarket experience as sustainable and ethical as possible? Firstly, I’d recommend checking an item’s origin from its packaging: perhaps opt for Tunisian instead of Medjool dates and avoid supermarkets on significant boycott lists.
Nevertheless, in June 2025, the Co-Op issued a company-wide ban on sourcing and selling all products from Israel. Their statement included Russian vodka and mangoes from Mali, demonstrating their dedication to ‘long-standing legacy of doing the right thing.’
Now that we’ve addressed that, how can we ensure our supermarket experience continues to abide by sustainable causes? This can easily be accomplished by opting for loose and local produce, the bakery, and plant-based options.
If you’re interested in saving more, you could try the ‘Too Good to Go’ app, which allows users to buy unsold food from a broad variety of restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets. Users order ‘Surprise Bags’ through the app, which are collected during a designated time window.
I’d say, the time windows are fairly flexible. When you first log into the app, you are asked what times work for you, which range from 6am to midnight. Individual meals have a shorter time window. For example, a £3 Pret breakfast bag will only have a half-an-hour window whilst £7.49 sushi from Aya’s Sushi has a two-hour window. This specific collection window might be less convenient for those who live further away from City Centre and these ‘Surprise Bags’ cannot be delivered.
Their antidote for this is the ‘Ask-a-Friend’ feature, where you can designate the order to someone else. This is a chance to recommend the app to someone else, encouraging them to save money and eliminate more food waste. Moreover, doing someone a favour or receiving one, is an opportunity to bring us closer together.
Emily MacLean
After reading this, you might feel slightly overwhelmed by the multitude of options and their ethical ramifications. It’s important we don’t let that overwhelm become disillusionment. It starts with choosing Quorn nuggets over chicken ones, visiting your local greengrocer once, or reading labels.
Ultimately, it all comes down to slowing down and accepting discomfort sometimes; recognizing that we are not more entitled to a particular item or temporary pleasure than someone else’s life or to the detriment of our world.
Featured Image: Epigram / Annabel Bienfait
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