Get the knowledge: How to make better food choices

Food waste

Food waste is also a huge problem. Around 931m tonnes of food goes to waste every year, with between 8-10% of global carbon emissions linked to unconsumed produce. These emissions come from the energy wasted in the food’s production and transportation, as well as those released by decaying produce as it festers in landfill. 

 

Meanwhile, according to the UN, over 700 million people go hungry every year (that is 10% of the world’s population), and over 30% – a staggering 2.4bn people – are moderately or severely food-insecure, lacking regular access to adequate food.

Food’s impact on biodiversity

Half of all the land in the world is used for agriculture, which means there’s little space left for natural ecosystems that are vital to the health of the planet, such as forests, grasslands and freshwater coverage (link to biodiversity article).

 

The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) says that expansion of farming continues to be the main driver of deforestation, forest degradation and the associated loss of biodiversity. The biggest culprit is large-scale commercial agriculture, primarily cattle ranching and cultivation of soya bean and oil palm. 

 

 

Local subsistence agriculture accounts for around a third of deforestation. While the rate of deforestation has slowed in recent years, the pressure to grow more food will continue as the global population continues to expand.

 

To produce food in such enormous quantities, modern farming techniques often rely on monocultures – the cultivation of a single crop in a given area. This is a very intensive process that relies heavily on fertilisers and pesticides, damages soil health and strips environments of the biodiversity (the variety of animals, insects, plants and organisms that work together in ecosystems) that’s needed to ensure life on Earth can thrive.

 

In the oceans, meanwhile, overfishing affects delicate marine ecosystems and poses a direct threat to coral reefs, which are important for coastal protection and carbon sequestration.

The human cost of food production

Global food production has a significant direct impact on people as well as the planet. The majority (84%) of the world’s 570m farms are smallholdings (defined as less than two hectares in size), often located in developing nations and run by some of the world’s poorest people who, paradoxically, often go hungry. 

 

According to Fairtrade, an estimated 400m smallholder farmers are undernourished. Many of the developed world’s biggest food brands and companies rely on these small holders within their supply chains.

 

This poverty means that people are often subjected to poor and unsafe working conditions, with few rights and little pay. Because of their geographical location and economic disadvantage, these are the communities that will be most affected by climate change, which will in turn affect global food supplies and security. 

Is organic food better for the environment?

Organic food is produced through farming practices that cycle resources, promote ecological balance, conserve biodiversity and avoid artificial chemicals. Because of this criteria, it’s often assumed the organic produce is an overall ‘better’ choice. Indeed, the market for organic food grew for the 10th consecutive year in 2022, indicating widespread consumer appetite for this type of produce. 

 

However, research has indicated that the environmental impact of organic produce is not as clear cut as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. One study, analysed by Our World In Data, demonstrates a wide number of variables at play. For example, energy consumption is higher for the production of organic vegetables, but lower for organic cereals, while the production of organic dairy products has a more negative impact on land use than organic meat, which has a positive impact. 

 

Nonetheless, it is widely agreed that organic farming has an important role to play in the reduction of chemicals and other pollutants used in food production. 

 

Every year The Environmental Working Group publishes its shopper’s guide to pesticides in produce, outlining which fruits and vegetables contain the lowest and highest levels of pesticides, helping consumers identify where it makes the most sense to choose organic.

Government action

Many governments around the world recognise that current food systems are not fit for a sustainable future, and that big changes need to be made. As such, nations around the world have set targets around a wide variety of food-related climate issues, including emissions, plastic use, fertilisers, food waste, deforestation and subsidies affecting farming practices.

 

Under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – committed to by 193 UN member states – goal 2 commits to ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. This will require transformation of the global food system. 

 

What is regenerative agriculture? Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that seeks to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem of the farm by placing a heavy premium on soil health, with attention also given to water management, crop rotation and diversity, fertiliser use and more. This type of farming can increase soil biodiversity and organic matter, leading to more resilient soils that can better withstand climate change impacts such as flooding and drought. It also diminishes erosion and runoff, leading to improved water quality on and off the farm. Importantly, regenerative agriculture practices help fight the climate crisis by pulling carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it in the ground.

 

For its part, the EU introduced its Farm to Fork strategy in 2020. This is designed to ensure agricultural systems have a neutral or positive environmental impact, help to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts, and reverse the loss of biodiversity. It also aims to make sure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, sustainable and affordable food.