Food Choice and Sustainability
Welcome, cooks! Food and sustainability are the cornerstones of what BetterPlate stands for. You can understand why food choice and sustainability are so important to us. Every time we choose to eat something it has an impact that is deeper than one person spending money and the other selling a product. While we see the exchange of money for goods, we forget about the resources needed and used to produce what you are buying. Becoming educated allows us to buy educated, and it may even change our habits when it comes to the ways we choose to attain the food we want.
BetterPlate’s key goal is to make cooking, food choice, and sustainability more approachable. It is important to remember that not everyone is seeking out this information; however, it shouldn’t be harder than it has to be to find it. Making a change starts with baby steps, so, let’s start broad – another way to understand sustainability and food choice would be to ask ourselves a few simple questions – How is the food packaged? What is needed to process the food? How is it distributed? How are we preparing and eating it? All these questions are crucial to ask as they all have their own impacts on us and the earth.
What to consider when making thinking about sustainability and food choice:
Product packaging. Avoiding single-use plastics and excessive packaging is a small, yet crucial, step to being more sustainable.
Emissions needed to produce the product. If a product emits high ranges of carbon and greenhouse gasses, they are not a sustainable option. Aim to buy products that have lower emission levels when being produced!
Water used to produce the product. Freshwater withdrawals also pose a major factor to sustainable food choices. Water is crucial to every living thing and any overuse of this resource lacks sustainability.
Where is your food coming from? The distance in which your food must travel leads to carbon emissions, as well. Adjusting your consumption to local, in-season foods is huge.
Packaging is a major factor in sustainable food choice. As we know, single-use plastics are not efficient and definitely lack sustainable qualities. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency states that food packaging materials make up almost half of all municipal solid waste (foodprint.org). This amount of waste has some serious consequences that span from air pollution to an impact on birds and marine life. Some grocery stores offer certain goods without any packaging, and it can be very beneficial to lean into these types of products.
Food co-ops are an excellent source of sustainable, locally farmed foods that tend to be unpackaged, completely leaving it up to shoppers to bring in there own containers for their goods. There are alternatives to single use plastics as a consumer even if you are not part of a co-op, as well. Shopping with reusable bags instead of getting multiple single-use plastic bags can have a significant impact over the long-term. Avoiding prepackaged single-use water bottles, and other bulk items in plastic are just a few more ways to minimize your waste. Small steps go a long way, people!
Carbon emissions from food production:
When focused on food choice and sustainability, we can not gloss over the environmental impacts that the production of our food has on our world. According to Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser from Our World In Data, 26% of our total greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of food for consumption. Of course, food is a basic human necessity, so we should expect an environmental impact; however, this is a big number, and there are ways in which we can cut back on these emissions, including cutting back our meat consumption.
The authors of this data go on to tell us that less meat is nearly always better than sustainable meat when it comes to carbon footprints; however, as I have previously stated, this kind of change doesn’t happen overnight and it should not be suggested that it does. We can not expect the whole world to go vegan or vegetarian just based on this alone, which is why it is important to note that sustainable alternates are also an effective option.
More sustainable meat production makes a huge difference compared to buying just any meat product. Ritchie and Roser of Our World in Data suggest that switching to more sustainable meats such as chicken, eggs, and pork is very effective for those looking to reduce their ‘dietary footprint’. They point out that greenhouse gas emissions produced by beef are over double the next most producing meat. Beef has a significant impact in both emissions and water. Because of this, it is best to avoid beef if possible.
Water withdrawals for food production:
Water use is another striking factor when it comes to sustainable food choice. From the graph in Our World in Data we see that cheese, nuts, fish, beef, and rice are notably high in liters of water needed to produce these products per kilogram, as seen below. Avoiding products with high volumes of water needed for production allows that water to be repurposed for a more necessary cause.
Rather than just focusing on the weight of a product, Ritchie and Roser offer graphs that put these foods and their water use in perspective of kilocalories and protein. This is important to note as it allows us to look at food for what it is, energy. When thinking about food choice and sustainability, we must consider what is really necessary to buy and consume. The data collected by Our World in Data shows us that food waste is responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is one-fourth of the world’s calories that have been produced without ever being consumed. This waste also infers a significant waste of water. As we can see from this graph, cutting back in dairy, fish, and beef can save a great amount of our freshwater resources.
Best options for more sustainable food choice:
Avoid meats, fish, and dairy. The emissions and water used to produce these foods is significantly higher than vegetables, roots, and fruits. If meat is core component to your diet, try and avoid beef and focus on chicken, eggs, and pork.
Shop local and in-season. Foods that are out of season are often imported from overseas. This adds emissions from the miles the food has taken to get to you. Local foods avoid these air miles and also gives support to your local producers. This is always a plus!
Reduce food waste. Buying only what you need and repurposing leftovers can make a huge difference in your dietary footprint.
Start a garden! Growing your own vegetables, herbs, and fruit is not only super satisfying but also super effective is reducing your emissions and waste.
Sustainable food choices are healthy for the earth and you!
I have pointed out some of the effects food production has on the earth. Yet, it is also important to note what consuming more sustainable options can do for you. Even if being environmentally conscious isn’t at the top of your to do list, these habits will create healthy, clean, and fresh food options for you!
The graphs we have looked at have given us an insight on what foods do the least amount of damage to our environment. Some of the foods worth pointing out are: peas, poultry, eggs, potatoes, tofu, grains, corn, along with other vegetables and many fruits. All of these foods are produced through low emissions and water intake. Furthermore, these several foods alone offer very sustainable food choices and so many possibilities in the kitchen. Along with this, they are all extremely rich in necessary daily nutrients and avoid unnecessary treatments.
Sustainable farmers tend to avoid harmful pesticides and antibiotics, as well. This food will be much cleaner and less tampered with, creating a safer product. These foods tend to be higher in nutrients and antioxidants. Sustainably grown foods can also lower cholesterol and improve your colon function while maintaining the foods full flavor, taste, and texture. As we can see, the benefits of eating sustainable foods are endless! Taking care of yourself while also doing right by our planet isn’t as complex as it might seem.
We can overcome old habits, even if it isn’t easy.
Sustainability and food choice should go hand-in-hand in every individuals life as the benefits are crystal clear. When we are caring for the earth, we are caring for ourselves. I have found that becoming a more sustainable person through food has made me feel closer with the earth and cleaner inside. We are all far too familiar with stomach aches and the weight in your gut after binge eating highly processed foods. While this is enjoyable for the time being, there is that little bit of regret afterwards. After transitioning to healthier, more environmentally conscious diet, these feelings start to fade.
Making changes to our everyday lives is never easy, but it is far from impossible. Making small changes in our food choice and sustainability is where it all begins. This was a lot of information to take in, but learning just one adjustment from here is huge! Even simply substituting beef with chicken from time to time is a great start. Like anything, progress is progress, and that is worth being proud of. Stay cookin’, and always remember, a BetterPlate is a better planet!
Works Cited
Ackers, K., Hanson, K., Gruchy, H. de, Thomas, H., & Worsley, S. (2019, December 7). What does food sustainability really mean? Eco & Beyond. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.ecoandbeyond.co/articles/food-sustainability/#:~:text=There%20are%20many%20ways%20that%20you%20can%20choose,plastic%20that%20you%20use.%20…%20More%20items…%20.
Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2020) – “Environmental impacts of food production”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food’ [Online Resource]
The environmental impact of food packaging. FoodPrint. (2020, November 13). Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://foodprint.org/issues/the-environmental-impact-of-food-packaging/.
