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Jennifer TurleyAssociate Professor of Nutrition, WSU
FOOD SYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY: ISSUES RELATED TO HEALTH, THE
ENVIRONMENT, & FOOD RESOURCES
OVERVIEW OF TODAY’S TALK
What is a food system?
What is a sustainable food
system?How does this
apply to plant & animal foods.
What is the impact of conventional
farming practices on the health of humans and the environment?
What are some practical
consumer tips to ensure food
system sustainablility?
FO
OD
SY
ST
EM
Food Production:
farming, gardening, fisheries, wild foods
Harvest: powered
equipment, farm, field,
factory, greenhouse,
ocean, slaughterhou
se Transformati
on, processing, packaging,
labeling, marketing,
heating/cooling
Distribution, wholesaling, warehousing
, transportatio
n
Access, retailing,
food safety net
Consumption,
purchasing, preparing,
eating, waste
management
THE DETRIMENTS
• Issues from:• Use, loss, & pollution of land,
soil, & H2O.• The contribution to global
warming from emission of green house gases.
• Fossil fuel depletion.• Loss of the land fertility &
nutrients that nourish plants & animals.
• More human (infectious & chronic) & animal diseases.
The US food system is currently
detrimental to the
environment, human
health, and future
sustainability..
A sustainable food system promotes ecological,
human, and community health now and for the
future.
~ 1/3 GHG tied to the food supply (Eshel, 2006)
DETRIMENTAL TO WATER, ENERGY, LAND
(Somlyódy 2006, Pimentel 2003, Horirgan 2002)
Water: plant and animal farming accounts for 70% of all water use by humanity; 90% in most developing countries. US food system uses ~80% of US fresh water.
Soil: US food system uses ~50% of US land area. Croplands, pastures, and rangelands are losing soil (overgrazing, tilling) at an unsustainable rate. It takes ~500 y to replace 1” soil.
Energy: Fossil energy for fertilizers, machinery, irrigation, pesticides, transportation, etc. 1 Calorie of plant protein requires ~2 Calories of fossil energy. Most adults require 2000-3000 calories/day depending on their age,
gender, and physical activity. Raising livestock for meat requires more energy (Calories, grain feed)
than animal byproducts (milk & eggs), and plants. Meat-based diet requires more energy, land, and water
resources than the lactoovo or vegetarian diet.
CALORIE COUNTING FOSSIL FUEL DENSITY, CALORIE DENSITY &
NUTRIENT DENSITY OF FOOD
Plants vs animals Livestock Lamentations
Animals: 20-80 fossil fuel calories/1 food calorie
Plants: 2 fossil fuel calories/1 food calorie
Plant proteins have ~ 1/10th the fossil fuel use and 1/10th carbon emission than animal proteins.
Switching from meat to vegetables 1 day/week saves the equivalent of driving 1160 miles per year
Livestock production, especially beef, created almost 20% of total greenhouse gases worldwide, eclipsing even transportation.
Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.
Low calorie can still have a high environmental impactExamples: water, reduced calorie foods, artificial chemical additives, processed, packaged
SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM
Food production with
resource conservation
Local & regional suppliers
More whole & seasonal foods
with less processed &
fast foods
Diet is plant-based &
augmented with animal foods produced in a sustainable
way
Sustain-able food system
Grow it, buy it, cook it local & organic
Limit eating out, animal, processed & fast food
Crop & grazing rotation, cover crops,
no/low-till, managing soil, nutrients,
biodiversity, & pest.
© 2009 Jennifer Turley, Joan Thompson, Garth Tuck
Healthy &
Sustainable Me
BEVERAGES
Bottled water is a big problem (petroleum based production, packaging, transport, storage)
Drink tap water, use a filter if you like Avoid other bottled beverages Buy concentrated juices you can reconstitute Consider teas and/or coffees made at home Chose local and organic milk or even better fortified milk
alternatives like soy, rice, or almond milk If you drink wine, purchase boxed wine produced
regionally (such as from California or Oregon for Utah residence)
Remember refrigeration and freezing costs energy in processing, transport, and store and personal storage.
THE ORGANIC PLANT
Organic generally improves soil fertility, maintains ecological harmony/biodiversity, and eliminates pesticides, artificial fertilizers, & sewage sludge.
Certified organic plant foods are also non-genetically modified organisms (non-GMO) and may have higher nutritional qualities.
Look for certified organic foods and produce (often has an organic sticker and a 5-digit produce # starting with 9.
Organic farmers use less machinery and more manual labor to harvest their fields.
Whole grains (wheat, millet, oatmeal, barley, bulgur, buckwheat, quinoa, wheat, etc.), lentils, beans/legumes, tofu, and nuts that are organic and minimally packaged/processed are sustainable staples.
Move away from high-carbon, high-calorie, low-nutrition, industrial food
PESTICIDES Substance that prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate a pest
Insects, animals, weeds, micororganisms can be pests Chemicals pesticides: synthetic, organic compounds Biopesticides: microbes, biochemicals (such as pheromones), plant
incorporated protectant Toxins inserted at the cellular level (Bt corn) by GE Pesticide treatment tolerance (round-up ready soybeans, corn, alfalfa,
canola) by GE Often reach destination other than that intended Pollute air, water, & soil. Resist degradation and remain in the environment for years Hinders nitrogen fixation needed for plant growth & soil quality Potentially poisons animals, birds, fish, ….humans Vicious cycle of spraying to kill pests, pests grow resistant, need to
spray more
Epa.gov
PESTICIDES
Modes of entry Example
Inhalation Ingestion Skin (dermal)
penetration Transplacental
absorption Breast milk
A pesticide which is sprayed can be inhaled during use or by drift; penetrate through the skin during mixing and application; and be ingested through water & food (which can be minimized by rinsing plant foods and removing fat from animal foods)
HUMAN HEALTH ISSUES RELATED TO PESTICIDES
Neurological Effects: potent neurotoxins. Short term: dizzy, lightheaded, confused, and reduced
coordination and ability to think. Long-term: reduced IQ, learning disability, brain damage.
Asthma, upper and lower respiratory effects Infections Hypersensitivity diseases Birth defects Endocrine disruption: Precocious puberty in girls,
Reduced sperm counts Cancer Children are more susceptible
SHOPPER’S GUIDE TO PESTICIDES
Dirty Dozen
Clean 15
Onion Avocado Sweet Corn Pineapple Mango Asparagus Sweet Peas Kiwi Cabbage Eggplant Papaya Watermelon Broccoli Tomato Sweet Potato
Peach Apple Bell Pepper Celery Nectarine Strawberries Cherries Kale Lettuce Grapes (Imported) Carrot Pear
www.foodnews.org
Antisense
transgenic
RNAi
GMO CONCERNS
Unexpected changes in tissue composition from gene activation or
suppression.
New plant species & naturally
occurring toxicant levels (allergy and
sensitivity).
Plants with substances not
normally found in species (allergens,
vegetarianism)
Marker gene required for
identification of altered cells,
antibiotic resistance, sterility.
Risk of plants used to make nonfood
oils or starch entering the food
supply.
Legal issues of false non-GMO
labeling by manufacturers & farmers dealing
with unintentional crop migration.
Altered nutritional profile.
Threatened biodiversity.
Not labeled.
Why are plants GM? For insect & viral resistance, herbicide tolerance, delayed ripening, plant sterility, and modified oils.What type of plants are GM? Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, soybean, rice, squash, papaya, flax, cantaloupe, and others.
THE ORGANIC ANIMAL
Organic beef, pork, poultry, eggs, and dairy foods may be healthier because: Less pesticide exposure, fed organic feed. Less antibiotics and hormones More nutritional value
USDA certified organic animals are traced from birth to slaughter. (which other countries do for all their meats, like the European Union).
What’s not in organic foods is what makes it better for you! You are what you eat. Animals are what they eat too (K. Geagan)
THE ORGANIC ANIMAL
Conventional: USDA defined with likely hormone implant, therapeutic and sub-therapeutic antibiotic use, chemical fertilizer & pesticide use, grazing (70%) and confinement (30%), meat & bone meal prohibited, fed tallow (animal fat), manure applied to land.
Natural: Minimal processing & additives. Grazing (70%) & confinement (30%). Maybe’s in conventional practice. Tallow & manure allowed.
Grass-fed: No definition, more free range. Grazing (80%) & confinement (20%). Tallow & manure allowed.
USDA Certified Organic: All conventional aspects prohibited. Grazing (80%) & confinement (20%). Gov’t standards mandated on manure applied to land. Always organic vegetarian. Never ever antibiotics, hormones, or preservatives.
FACTORY FARMING: PRO Able to meet the American meat appetit. 217 lbs/person/year (India 11)
Confined/Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
FACTORY FARMING: CONS Cheap & abundant meat increases demand & production Increased meat consumption can be linked to increase risk of CVD,
diabetes and some cancers Factory farms are noisy and smelly thus far from communities so
more fuel used for transport Livestock are put in high density unnatural environments causing:
Greenhouse gas emissions (feces and passing gas, food miles) Water pollution Disease Ethical issues
Livestock production produces 18% of CO2 equivalents (transportation 15%)
High density housing for livestock can lead to substandard conditions (confinements, disease, de-beaking chickens, removing tails from pigs, etc)
Leads to high density processing facilities with poor conditions for both animals and workers
FACTORY FARMING: CONS
800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition but most of the corn and soy grown goes to livestock
Livestock used to be integrated into carbon and nitrogen cycles of small farms
Increasing rangeland is a major reason for deforestation Unnatural feeding practices like fattening cattle on grain has
led to development of more pathogenic bacteria In order to minimize disease and increase production many
animals in factory farms are given antibiotics More than half of the worlds supply of antibiotics are used on animals Could lead to antibiotic resistance
Iowa hog factories alone produce 50 million tons of excrement Put into lagoons not waste treatment facilities Contaminate waterways with excrement, antibiotics and hormones
MEAT ISSUES
ORGANIC MEAT FARMING
Organic is greener (30-60% less fossil fuel) than conventional
SUSTAINABLE ANIMAL CHOICES
Beef and dairy is unsustainable. Lamb is also not energy efficient but is eaten less than
beef by most Americans. Avoid highly processed meat (lunch meat, hot dogs,
sausage, bacon, nugget, frozen dinners etc) Poultry and eggs are sustainable options Reduce meat consumption and chose organic, local
and free-range (grass-fed) animal meat (like beef, bison, pork, lamb) and legally hunted game (like elk, deer, pheasant, rabbit, duck, partridge, moose) when you eat it.
It takes millions or years to create biomass that becomes crude oil that then becomes gasoline that is used to create a snack that takes less than 2 minutes to eat …does that seem sustainable? Eating represents an immediate opportunity to make a difference. (Kate Geagan)
FISH FARMING
Sustainable: herbivore (plant eater) & omnivores (plant and animal eaters).
Tilapia thrive on inexpensive vegetable-based foods.
Oysters, clams and mussels improve water quality as they filter plankton out
of the water for their food.
Unsustainable: carnivores (animal eaters).
Salmon, tuna, and shrimp require feed that's made from wild fish.
Source: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx
There are many aquaculture methods & species, some are sustainable
FISH FARMING
1. Cages/pens: waste, diseases and parasites can freely spread to wild habitat. Farmed fish can escape and compete with wild fish for natural resources, interbreed with wild fish.
2. Raceways: same concerns as cages/pens.3. Ponds: can destroy coastal habitat to build facility. Discharged untreated
wastewater pollutes the environment and contaminates groundwater.4. Recirculating systems: fish cannot escape, wastewater is treated, but are
costly to operate and rely on electricity or other power sources.5. Shellfish culture: when farmed in high densities with little current/tidal flow
leads to the accumulation of waste and the possibility of out-competing native species for natural resources.
1 32 4 5
Source: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx
FISH FACTS
Avoid farmed carnivore fish It takes 15-25 lbs wild fish to produce 1 lb farmed tuna. It takes 2-10 lbs of wild fish feed to produce 1 lb farmed salmon. Plus large water need
US raised, plant eating fish are lean and green superfoods and much more sustainable than air flown salmon or tuna.
Include herring, sardines, US farmed catfish, barramundi, tilapia, shrimp, clams, oysters, and mussels. Principles: small fish, live in large numbers close to shore, are
herbivores.
Organic is meaningless in regards to fish & seafood. Most fresh waters are contaminated with PCBs and methyl
mercury.
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM SEAFOOD WATCH POCKET GUIDE
Source: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Eat foods that are: Local In season Organic
Eat mostly plant foods (eat low on the food chain); minimally meat free Mondays. If all Americans had a MFD it would be like taking
8 million cars off the road Choose local, sustainable and organic animal
meat and milk Choose sustainable wild and farmed fish,
ocean friendly foods
PRACTICAL TIPS Eat less red meat, limit animal meat to 3 ounces a day Omit bottled water. Drink from the tap, with or without a filter. Minimize other bottled
processed beverages. Select 1 ingredient foods for meals and snacks most often Minimize shopping trips to different stores Bring your own reuse bags Shop the bulk bins Limit packaged foods. If packaged, 5 or less ingredients and not mini/snack pacs.
Look for country of origin labeling (COOL) or the source of the food (even produce), chose foods produced the closest to you
Become a Locavore, cut truck, train, and air travel of food Compost your food waste Join a CSA Use your kitchen more and eat out much less Pack your own lunch Use energy efficient appliances, especially your refrigerator, in your kitchen Grow some of your own food at home, with a neighbor, or community garden Have a real relationship with real food
Freshness & Taste: Food may be <24 hours old and picked at the optimal time to harvest (not before it ripens).
Nutrition: decline in nutrients as time passes after harvest. Some organic foods have a better nutritional profile than conventional.
Purity: Organic foods are produced without pesticides, or fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, GMO, or irradiation exposure.
Community Vitality: Spend your money within your community. Keep the food supply closer to your hands. Promote regional food self reliance and local jobs.
Teach Others: Set an example for others to follow. Teach children the true source and meaning of food.
Variety: Local organic farmers grow a diversity of flavorful and locally adapted foods (no mono-cultures).
Resource Conservation: Buying locally grown foods decreases dependence on petroleum (transportation and petroleum based chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides), preserves soil, and promotes biodiversity.
Cost: Conventional food production has hidden detrimental environmental, health, and social consequences. Organic food may have a higher price-tag.
WHY EAT LOCAL & ORGANIC
REFLECTIONSQuestions to ask
yourself in generalQuestions to ask when food making purchases
Where did my food come from?
Is it real food, traditional, imitation/invented, genetically engineered???
What impact does my eating style have on others? the planet?
Organic or conventional?
Plant or animal? Local or regional,
national, or international?
Bulk or processed or packaged?
Necessary or splurge? Farmed or Wild fish? Sustainable or
unsustainable?
A healthy diet needs healthy agriculture which needs a healthy ecosystem.
Eat real food (not edible food like substances), not too much, mostly plants.
Don’t eat anything your grandma wouldn’t recognize as food.
Eat at mealtime, not 24/7.
Don’t buy food where you buy fuel.
(M. Pollen)
FRIENDLY RESOURCES Deborah Koons Garcia, The future of food DVD, 2005.
http://www.thefutureoffood.com/ Montery Bay Aquarium:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx Food Routes: http://www.foodroutes.org/ Blue Ocean: http://www.blueocean.org/home University of Michigan center for sustainability:
http://css.snre.umich.edu/www.blueocean.org/home Wasatch Gardens: http://www.wasatchgardens.org/ Local Harvest CSA: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ Books by Michael Pollen Kate Geagan, Go Green Be Lean, http://www.kategeagan.com/ and
www.leanandgreendiet.com Utah farmer’s Market: http://www.utahsown.utah.gov/ Slow Food Utah: http://www.slowfoodutah.org/ Bell Organic Gardens in Draper www.bellorganic.com Zoe's Garden in Layton Utah: www.zoegarden.com
FRIENDLY RESOURCES
Farmers Markets in Utah: http://www.utahsown.utah.gov/FarmersMarkets.htm
National Geographic Green Guide: http://www.thegreenguide.com/ University of Michigan center for sustainability: http
://css.snre.umich.edu/ Center for Science in the Public Interest: http://
cspinet.org/EatingGreen/calculator.html Green restaurant association: http://
dinegreen.com/restaurant_guide.asp F&V worth buying organic, download wallet card at:
www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php Source locally: www.eatwild.com Real Milk: www.realmilk.com Field to Plate: www.fieldtoplate.com Harvest Eating: www.harvesteating.com Wild Idea buffalo company, South Dakota: www.wildideabuffalo.com
