What did you learn about dietary choices from using the footprint calculator? Now imagine that you could translate what you learned into an effective societal policy on food- what would it be? And how would this policy effect the need to alleviate world hunger?
925 million people on earth do not have enough to eat according to the FAO [Food and Agricultural Organization]. That's almost 1 in 7 inhabitants of our planet!
Food & Hunger >
Processed Foods’ Impact on the Environment
The food industry is responsible for approximately one third of all greenhouse gas emissions, with an unproportional amount being linked specifically to ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods are made or engineered with unnatural chemicals, preservatives, coloring, etc, and they can be extremely harmful to the consumer’s health as well as the environment, according to https://tinyurl.com/5kpyewuf. First of all, these foods often contain ingredients that are highly addictive but not overly nourishing, which leads to them being mass produced, so there is more agricultural damage done to ecosystems and increased pollution in the soil and water. Additionally, because there is so much product, roughly half of it goes to waste and ends up in the landfill anyway. Apart from addictive ingredients, ultra-processed foods usually contain ingredients (such as palm oil) that are linked to negative environmental impacts such as deforestation. And finally, ultra-processed foods are often wrapped in single use plastic that lead to further pollution. However, not all ultra-processed foods are made equally and some are more damaging, while others can actually be the more sustainable option. It’s important to stay educated regarding what products you buy so that you can effectively work to reduce your carbon footprint.