How our Food Consumption and Management Impact Climate Change

What we eat, how we shop for food, and the amount of food that goes to waste all impact the climate.

Do you know that in New Zealand alone, each family throws away three shopping trolleys worth of food each year? Imagine the amount of waste if we include all countries in the world. The worst thing about food waste is that it releases the heat-trapping gas methane as it decomposes. Emissions from food waste alone are equivalent to 150 thousand car emissions on the road (Jones, 2019).

Food waste accounts for 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions, and the United Nations estimates that 1.3 billion tons of food a year, or one-third of the world’s production, goes to waste before it even gets to the table. The sad thing is, amidst this food waste, 10.5% of the world population is experiencing hunger and malnutrition, while 26 per cent are obese. Food waste emissions contribute to global warming through greenhouse gas emissions between 2010 and 2016 (A new diet, 2020).

Interestingly, food waste in richer countries like the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and Australia is due to excess or out-of-date food. In poor countries, food waste is due to poor technologies and infrastructure that fail to gather and store food efficiently, in short, even before the food reaches the consumers (A New Diet, 2020).

Imagine how much carbon emissions can be reduced by reducing food waste alone.

Reducing our food waste

There are so many materials available online to help us reduce food waste, from shopping to preparation to cooking.

One example is the Easy Choice Family Kai featured in the NZ Stuff article. It provides a weekly shopping list, exciting recipes, and tips on how to cook with almost zero waste.

In her article “Cooking Differently,” Jones listed some practical ways to avoid food waste:

Eat stalks and skins

For example, when cooking potatoes, cook them with the skin. Use the whole cauliflower or broccoli instead of throwing away the stems.

Do it yourself

Plan your meals, cook it yourself, and eat seasonally and locally to ensure that the product is of the best quality and does not travel a long distance to reach your plate.

Storing food correctly can also help it last longer, thus avoiding waste

For example, storing bread, fruits, and vegetables in the fridge and keeping berries in airtight containers can extend their shelf life.

Another practical tip to avoid wastage is to manage your pantry and know the expiration or best-by dates.

Using your stock before it expires or using what you have to make a meal will help keep a fresh supply in your pantry or fridge and avoid waste.

The choice of food we eat has climate impacts.

Aside from reducing food waste, the food we choose has climate impacts. The article “New Diet” points out what food contributes most and least to climate change.

At the top of the list of foods that contribute most to climate change is beef.

Because cattle farming uses a lot of land, burping up methane—a potent heat-trapping gas—is more harmful to the climate.

Second, is butter.

The article cites a Finnish study and says butter is the “most polluting livestock product” (A new diet, 2020).

You may ask how butter is so polluting. It’s only made from milk, right?

In the article “To Shrink Your Carbon Footprint,” Jenny Shalant wrote, “to get a pound of butter, you need 21 pounds of milk”. A 1:21 ratio of milk to butter (Shalant, 2017).

And let’s not forget, milk comes from cows. To raise cattle where butter is from, it needs heaps of land, emits lots of methane, and needs to be fed enormous amounts of grass or grains, which need a lot of fertilisers and pesticides. And of course, fertilisers and pesticides emit CO2 as well.

The third on the list is avocado.

Avocado that is imported, that is. And because it is imported, it eats up a lot of mileage before it gets to your dining table, generating vast amounts of CO2.

So, what about food that is climate-friendly

The top of the list is the apple, which, according to the article, causes the least emissions. Second are pulses like beans, lentils, and peas. Third are mussels and oysters. Because these shellfish filter water, they benefit the climate and remove carbon from the environment (A new diet, 2020).

As consumers, we can reduce our carbon footprint by making the right choices of food. Choosing food that produces the least carbon emissions, growing more sustainable and hardy crops, applying crop rotations, cover and low-maintenance crops, and alternating pasture and crops would benefit the environment.

Another option is to choose a plant-based diet or animal products with lower carbon emissions (A new diet, 2020).

Or better yet, raising your herd or poultry for food is the best option.

Ordering our food from the restaurant also have climate impacts. We love a treat occasionally; for some people, it could be a regular thing, dining out. When choosing what food to order, consider the following: How long is the food on the food chain? How much energy is used to produce the food or product? Is it organic, locally grown, or imported overseas (Food and Climate, 2019)?

The lower the food is in the food chain, the less processed it is, and choosing in-season and organically grown food is always better for the environment and for our health.

Opting for climate-friendly food consumption practices is one of the many climate adaptation solutions that we can do as individuals and as a family.