While food is our basic necessity, it also makes a big part of our unique cultures. Our food and consumption habits have a massive impact on our environment. From resources used in food production, emissions during agriculture and transport, energy needed for processing, storage, delivery, all the way to the after effects of food waste - each step takes a toll on this planet that supports over 8 billion of us today. So... should we stop eating?!
The Banana
It is the most common fruit on the planet. It's story used to be quite simple - it grew, and then we picked and ate it 😀. Over time, humans took over the entire planet but we still really wanted those bananas. And it slowly unfolded this complex "Food Chain" of today, a simplified view of which is shown below.
How does food affect our environment?
Farm-to-Fork has never been more complicated! Initially it was all about how nutrients and energy pass from one organism to another. Fast forward to today, the "New Age Food Chain" is a complex system closely interconnected with politics, trade, science, labor, energy, technology, health, regulation, culture, climate, and finally the eco-system itself.
Food production consumes ½ the habitable land.
Food production consumes almost 3⁄4 of freshwater supply.
1⁄3 of all produced food is never consumed.
Uneaten food is enough to feed 2 billion people.
800 million people go hungry every day!
Every step - spraying nitrate & phosphate based fertilizers, harmful pesticides, pre-mature picking, sorting, packaging, prolonged cold storage - is designed to scale up and feed a growing hungry population. Bananas, like most produce, are also highly perishable - they can quickly become overripe, get bruised during transportation and handling thus leading to significant waste at the retail and consumer levels. Every step food takes from farm to fork consumes energy, labor and/or water. Land use, storage, packaging and transportation are the biggest resource sinks in this food chain.
"I'm vegetarian. So my food habits are eco friendly."
Maybe. The devil is in the details of this over simplification. It's a great health habit to include more plant based food into the diet, and better for the planet too. Every positive change each of us can make is valuable. There are several non-meat foods that feature in the high emissions category. Some examples are: cheese, chocolate, coffee, milk, rice. Add to it all the processed and packaged foods that are produced, stored, transported. As important as it is to care about what we eat, it's also about where from and how it reached our dinner table. Carbon footprint of any food begins to shoot up when:
It is regularly flown across the oceans to get here.
It is grown in non-native regions with precious resources.
It undergoes lengthy energy intensive processing into specific products.
It is stored under perfect environmental conditions to consume off-season.
It goes uneaten and reaches landfills.
The most common suggestion we hear is to stop red meat consumption. The GreenHouseGas (GHG) emissions for it are quite literally off the charts! 1 kilogram of beef is responsible for 60 kilograms of CO2 emissions. The biggest chunk comes from land use and methane emissions in farms. However, given how deeply entrenched red meat consumption is in people's culture since ages it does not seem a realistic expectation or even achievable to stop red meat consumption. But, what is achievable is a middle ground:
* Select sustainably farmed meat options.
* Consume red meats in moderation.
* No food waste at home.
* Introduce healthy and safe meat alternatives on occasions.
How can I eat sustainably without changing my diet?
Yes, we may still eat that banana to keep healthy! Making radical changes overnight are not always needed, and are much harder to keep up. When we eat let's not forget how we got that food. Basic awareness is all it takes:
* Buy fresh food that you are 100% sure to consume in the next few days.
* Store food appropriately to reduce food waste.
* Can you afford it from a local farm? It's usually the healthier and eco friendlier option.
* If it's processed food with long shelf life, buy in bulk to reduce the carbon footprint.
* Spice up the meal routine to eat healthier - maybe a "Meatless Monday" dinner?
Love a good meatless Monday. We replaced hamburger in our red pasta sauce with green lentils and it's delicious! Half a cup of green lentils replaced a pound of hamburger. It's less greasy and the kids like it better 🙂
That's a great spin!!