Food Sustainability Flashcards

Food Sustainability

Food Sustainability Overview

  • Food Sustainability
  • Food Insecurity
  • Industrial agriculture
  • Organic
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Locally grown foods
  • Community supported agriculture

Objectives

  • Discuss the effects of industrial agriculture on food security, food diversity, and the environment.
  • Discuss the benefits of sustainable agriculture.
  • Identify several steps you can take to make more sustainable food choices.

Food Production and Sustainability

  • Sustainability is defined as producing food, plants, and animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, the public, the community, and animal welfare.
  • Before food appears on our plates, it involves:
    • Planting with machinery and fertilizers.
    • Watering.
    • Growing with fertilizers.
    • Harvesting with machinery.
    • Processing and packaging using factory equipment.
    • Distribution involving fuel use.
    • Consumption.
    • Disposal of food and package waste.

Why Sustainability Matters

  • The world population is growing.
  • Sustainable food systems are crucial to feed the growing population and limit climate change effects.
  • How food is produced, grown, what types of foods are consumed, and food waste all impact the world's food systems.

Food Insecurity

  • Food Insecurity: unreliable access to a sufficient supply of nourishing food.
  • Consequences:
    • Undernourishment
    • Increased infant mortality
    • Decreased life expectancy
    • Obesity
  • High-risk groups:
    • Developing countries
    • Incomes below the poverty level
    • Families with single parents
    • Those in rural areas
    • Individuals with chronic diseases or disabilities
    • Elderly
    • Individuals with addictions

Food Insecurity Statistics

  • Food insecurity: unreliable access to a sufficient supply of nourishing food
  • Approximately 17.4 million U.S. households (roughly 14%) experienced food insecurity in 2011.
  • About 6.8 million households experienced very low food security, where eating patterns were disrupted, and food intake was reduced.
  • Households with lower incomes are at higher risk.
  • Breakdown of Food Insecurity:
    • 14% of households are food-insecure.
    • 5.6% of households have very low food security.
    • 8.4% of households have low food security.
    • 86% of households are food-secure.

Improving Access to Healthy Food

  • Healthy corner stores
  • Grocery stores
  • Mobile food trucks
  • Improve transportation access
  • Urban and community gardens

Food Production Choices: Conventional Agriculture

Conventional Agriculture History

  • Began after World War II.
  • Goal was to increase worldwide food production to meet the increasing post-war population.
  • Development of fertilizers, pesticides, and farming techniques significantly boosted food production.
  • Large, confined farms raised cattle, chickens, and pigs.
  • The population started relying more on fast food and processed food.

Conventional Agriculture Characteristics

  • High production/low cost.
  • Use of pesticides (chemicals to control pests).
  • Use of fertilizers to add nutrients back to the soil.
  • Powerful machinery requiring substantial fuel.
  • Large acreages to maximize production, leading to deforestation.
  • Monoculture: growing the same crop repeatedly, depleting soil nutrients.
  • Bioengineered: Genetically modified organisms.

Environmental Impacts of Conventional Agriculture

  • Deforestation and overgrazing destroy trees and roots that preserve the soil.
  • Cash crops such as cotton, coffee, or tobacco are grown instead of food crops.
  • Growing food for livestock requires significant water and food resources, feeding fewer people.

Consequences of Conventional Agriculture

  • Depletion of topsoil
  • Pollution of soils and water due to pesticides, fertilizer, and animal waste
  • Depletion of groundwater through irrigation
  • Many crops are used for animal feed
  • Insecticide-resistant species of insects are increasingly common
  • Increased greenhouse gases from mechanized production and methane released from animals

Impact on Food Diversity

  • Reduced food diversity after the 1960s revision to the Farm Bill, which provided financial incentives for farms to grow single crops.
  • Decrease in small farms.
  • Increase in corn, soybeans, wheat, and rice production.
  • No subsidies were paid for the production of fresh fruits and vegetables, leading to a decline in these crops and diminished food diversity.

Pesticides

  • Pesticides protect against crop losses, reduce disease incidence, and increase crop yields.
  • Common types:
    • Insecticides: control insects that infest crops.
    • Herbicides: control weeds.
    • Fungicides: control plant-destroying fungal growth.
  • Pesticides can be natural or synthetic.
  • Synthetic pesticides, made from petroleum-based products, can harm the environment by polluting soils, water, plants, and animals.
  • Residues can remain as toxins on foods.
  • Regulated by the EPA.

Reducing Exposure to Pesticides

  • Eat organic foods.
  • Wash and scrub all fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Remove and discard outer leaves and skin.
  • Eat a variety of foods from various sources.

Growth Hormones and Antibiotics

  • Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a genetically engineered growth hormone given to cows to increase muscle mass, decrease fat, and increase milk production.
  • One-third of all U.S. dairy cows receive rBGH.
  • Risks to humans are still being studied.
  • Antibiotics are routinely given to animals raised for food to reduce disease outbreaks.
  • Risks to humans include the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or “superbugs.”
  • Exposure to growth hormones and antibiotics can be reduced by selecting organic foods, free-range meats, and vegetarian meals.

Food Industry Influences

  • Food industry lobbyists spend millions each year on livestock, dairy, sugar, and beer, wine, and liquor.
  • The food and beverage industry spends money to influence voters and block proposals to heavily tax sugar-sweetened beverages.
  • Lobbying Expenditures:
    • Livestock: 2.9 million
    • Dairy: 7 million
    • Sugar: 10.3 million
    • Food manufacturers: 18.3 million
    • Beer, wine, and liquor: 25 million

Organic Foods

  • Organic foods are produced according to the Organic Foods Production Act.
  • Prohibitions:
    • Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms, or irradiation cannot be used.
  • Farming practices:
    • Biological pest management
    • Composting
    • Manure applications
    • Crop rotation: alternating crops grown in a field to prevent nutrient depletion and erosion and control crop-specific pests.
  • Organic meat, poultry, and eggs come from animals allowed to graze outdoors and fed only organic feed.
  • Organic foods have the same nutrient content as non-organic foods.
  • For example, organic carrots have the same amount of vitamins, minerals, and energy as non-organic carrots.

Sustainable Agriculture

  • Sustainable Agriculture:
    • Satisfies human food needs.
    • Enhances environmental quality.
    • Efficiently uses nonrenewable resources.
    • Sustains the economic viability of farm operations.
    • Enhances the quality of life of farmers and society.

Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture

  • Preserves the environment by producing crops and animals without relying on chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
  • Protects public health by preventing pesticides and fertilizers from contaminating the water supply.
  • Provides community benefits by employing farmers, farmworkers, and food processors.
  • Ensures animal welfare by allowing animals to move freely and avoiding the stress of confinement.
  • Improves health by reducing obesity, CVD, cancer, and malnutrition.
  • Optimizes land, energy, and water use.
  • Supports the local economy.
  • Supports access to healthy, whole, nutritious foods.

Sustainable Agriculture Implementation

  • Agroforestry: Planting trees around farms reduces soil erosion.
  • Increase crop and livestock diversity to restore nutrients to the soil.
  • Use organic farming practices.
  • Use clean energy sources.
  • Use smarter irrigation techniques.
  • Support small-scale farmers who grow fruits and vegetables for human consumption.

Local Foods

  • Locally grown foods support local farmers.
  • Fresher
  • Avoid added transportation costs.
  • Helps the environment.
  • Home gardening.

Food Production Choices: National Farm to School Program

  • Partnership between local farms and schools.
  • Local foods are purchased, promoted, and served in cafeterias or as snacks/taste tests.
  • School gardens offer hands-on learning.
  • Expose kids to new fruits and vegetables.
  • Benefits:
    • Students have access to healthy, local foods.
    • Educational opportunities through school gardens, cooking lessons, and farm field trips.
    • Education related to agriculture, food, health, and nutrition.

Meat Consumption and Climate Change

  • Livestock generate greenhouse gases (responsible for global warming) such as carbon dioxide and methane (released from animals).
  • Land degradation: 30% of the earth’s land is used for pasture or feed production.
  • Beef production uses 160 times more land than plant foods.
  • Reduces the capture of CO_2 performed by plants.
  • Beef uses 8 times more water than plant foods.
  • Animal waste can wash into water supplies.

How Can We Help? Food Sustainability

  • Follow a plant-based diet or limit portion sizes of animal products.
  • Buy local and in season.
  • Eat whole foods, minimize processed foods.
  • Use foods with minimal or recyclable packaging.
  • Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program).
  • Eat organic foods.
  • Grow foods, such as potted herbs or tomato plants.
  • Support community gardens.
  • Decrease bottled beverage use due to heavy fuel consumption in shipping.
  • Breastfeeding infants reduces food miles from "farm to fork".
  • Purchase food from local producers.

Tips for Being Sustainable at Home

  • Gardening: use potted plants, vertical gardens.
  • Compost food waste.
  • Use reusable bags.
  • Use refillable water bottles.
  • Understand growing seasons:
    • Roots, stems, and leaves: colder seasons
    • Fruits: warmer seasons
  • Buy in-season foods and preserve foods for later seasons by freezing, pickling, or canning.

Where to Buy Sustainable Foods

  • Farmers Markets: producers gather to sell goods locally.
  • CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture): farmers sell shares to the public, consisting of a weekly box of produce.
  • Food Co-ops: Usually favor local and sustainable products.
  • Pick-Your-Own Farms: Allow customers to pick their own produce, which is extremely fresh and less costly than pre-picked produce.
  • Grocery stores: many are selling locally grown produce and products; look for signs indicating the name of the local farm and distance from the store.
  • Gardening: backyards, rooftops, window sills, community gardens.

UB’s Sustainability Initiatives

  • Food waste is composted or recycled, greatly reducing landfill use.
  • Sell refillable mugs
  • Reverse vending machines
  • Garden?
  • Green dish rooms reduce water usage.

Reducing Food Waste

  • Saves money
  • Reduces methane emissions from landfills
  • Conserves energy and resources
  • Prevents pollution involved in manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of food waste

Strategies for Reducing Food Waste

  • Make shopping lists.
  • Buy only what you need and will use.
  • Plan your meals for the week before shopping.
  • Check home first to avoid buying food you already have.
  • Freeze food if you're unsure when you will eat it.
  • Make smoothies with fruit that is too ripe to eat.
  • Have a leftovers night

Websites

  • https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/greener-living
  • http://www.farmtoschool.org/
  • www.slowfoodusa.org